3000 CLASS PY

It does seem quite hard to see why a trapeze asymmetric boat should be 100 points slower than an RS400, particularly based on a low number of races.
384 races could be just half a dozen mediocre boats with old sails at a club or two that set poor courses but happen to put returns in.
Just enjoy it on the water.

There is an assumption that the PY change is due to boats at clubs returning results that are significantly different to the year before.

 Wouldn’t you get this phenomenon if a club with a novice boat, suddenly starts to submit returns? 

The reason for the change is simple, that's what the numbers say.

As for why, realistically no-one can know.

It might be that its a class that, under the old system, has tended to be ignored by clubs and just had the old number recommended because they can't be bothered to do anything else, and now that we are getting much more data through the web system this isn't happening - as it happens the Laser 3000 numbers are almost all from the web system now.

It might be that there are few top sailors left in the class.

It might be simply that as the remaining Laser 3000s get older and older and more and more clapped out they are getting slower and slower.

It might be that the general trend is that dinghies as a whole tend to get just a bit faster every year with improved sail materials, maintenance, techniques etc, and the poor old 3 tonners are being left behind.

Its probably a combination of some or all of these and about a dozen others that haven't occurred to me.

But one new sailor at one club isn't going to make any great difference. Once a class gets to the stage where a few sailors will make a difference then it disappears from the list. Especially as one of the aspects of the system is that results worse than a certain trigger value are simply discarded, so in practice beginner's results rarely contribute to the system at all.

The big pressure for change in the PY system of recent years has been for the scheme to be more dynamic and reflect what's seen on the water now. This change is what's seen on the water now. PY is principally an observed performance scheme. Its not a bunch of people sitting in a room and deciding what they think the numbers should be.

And anyone who thinks that 15 points is going to turn a mid fleeter into a series winner badly needs to sit down with a spreadsheet and a set of their club results...

[Later] oh and just in case it isn't obvious. The V3000 is quite another game of soldiers from the Laser 3000. The two classes should not be confused. Should returns for V3000s reach a point where a number can be published it will be published. Active V3000 sailors need to encourage their clubs to make returns.

Edited by JimC - 05 Mar 13 at 12:50pm

Like you GRF I get fed up with the same old same old.

Edited by transient - 05 Mar 13 at 12:00pm

I get annoyed at the suggestion that all local club racers are somehow inferior to the rule bending super sail jockey types.  I tell you there's not one that could come down to this lake and helm my boat to do much more than 10% better than I and not a chance they'd beat the locals on handicap, who have years of experience and although a bit grey round the ears, will crank a lee bow on you out of the line that you'll never break, sooner than you can say Eric Twiname.