Development = faster?

I dont know whether you have noticed but the Laser 4000 handicap went up one point this year, so did the RS800, now two points better off and the FD is one point worse off. eh???
Take the FD, around 15 boats active in the UK and their PY shifts with no significant change in the boat in years, in fact the FD PY has gone up and down like a yoyo over the past few years, how many Merlins, Stratos, RS400 etc are there? has their PY moved at all?
Something aint right.
My local Club, we'll go out, race, come back, take the boat off the water, buy a cup of tea, roll a fag and watch the second boat cross the line 15 plus minutes after we finished and we still come fourth.
So guess what we don't sail there anymore but niether do a lot of others because its deemed pointless and unless clubs and OODs are given guidance manufacturer supplied handicaps and seeming imovable PY's will kill handicap racing in small clubs for good.

I sail a 4000 and I don't stand an earthly against 400s in my club - but then I sail on a reservoir!  I don't care - I know my boat is better in wide open spaces and strong steady winds.  If you sail a high performance boat you do get a wider grin at the end of the day.

I've noticed that too.  We have very close racing with 29ers in our 4000 and they are over 20 points different.  Similarly it is easy to get thrashed boat for boat with a RS400 if the wind is light. 

The biggest shock is against symetrical spinnaker boats.  Boats like Wayfarers, their little kites mean they can go higher than us off the wind in a breeze and downwind they can sail straight down the rhumb line which pays in the light stuff.  We do however have much wider grins than they.

By the way, a golden rule when sailing in mixed fleets, never try to go through a Wayfarer's lee!

Garry's right to.  I have literally boxes of trophies in the loft - sounds immodest but I'm afraid I'm just an average sort of bloke who just keeps turning up!

The 29er yardstick has been all over the shop.  I remember when it first arrived in the UK it was raced at the bloody mary off the same handicap as the 4000's, it then went down to 940 and promtly won every event.  Its been hovering around 924 for a while now.  Personally I can just about sail to that, but my usual partner and I weigh 24 stone all up wheras the top guys are less than 20 I think.  Part of it is that people have now mastered the boat and also the optimum crew weight has dropped.  I reckon a value of about 918-921 is about right now which puts it level with an RS600 which seems right.