http://rorcrating.com/component/content/article/30/148-gbr-irc-and-associated-documents-2011.html - http://rorcrating.com/component/content/article/30/148-gbr-irc-and-associated-documents-2011.html

One of the proposal is the revert back to the original method of rating of boats with spinnaker poles and bowsprits. i.e. and increase in rating if you have both.

We fitted a bowsprit to allow inexperienced crew fly an assymetric spinnaker and then subsequently attach and use the pole as required. It also makes gybing simpler.

This rule change will marginalise inexperienced and/or short handed crews.

Anecdotally, the use of spinnakers in IRC racing is seen as one of the biggest issues faced by owners considering getting a rating and sailing in IRC. As they know they will need an experienced foredeck crew who can handle the spinnaker. Anything that makes this easier has to be a good thing for potentially increasing IRC participation, which is in a slow decline.

I realise that for the top end boats a bowsprit could be seen as an advantage, without out any rating penalty. But the occasions when this would be the case and any advantage gained would be minimal when considering the impact of boats not competing in IRC.

I have posted my comment on the RORC rating site. If you agree, please do the same.

The Angry Mole

At the end of the day if you are racing with inexperienced crew you are unlikely to be competitive anyway, so is a small rating change really a game ender for you?

As for racing for in-experienced crew, this is exactly what the IRC rules preclude, owners willing to take less experienced crews and train them for competitive IRC racing. At what point does IRC ratings allow for that? So owners who can find away to introduce crews to spinnaker handling in a series of steps has to be good. the ALL or NOTHING argument just discourages participation. 

But all this will be academic when there are so few IRC certificates that the rule disappears.

Dinghy clubs adjust the Portsmouth Yardstick to suit local conditions and in some cases clubs introduce 'personal' handicap systems to encourage the less experienced sailor to compete against championship winning crews. 

IRC will only remain successful if it encourages participation, AT ALL LEVELS, not just a select few with deep wallets.

 

Can you post the part of the rule changes that you refer to?  I had a quick look, but couldn't see it. 

 

But I have to say, I don't agree with you.  IRC racing has at its core a concept of "reducing unnecessary cost".  We have a perfectly good symmetrical spinnaker setup, but were starting to think of adding a small sprit and an A-sail, as it was going to be rating "free".  Certainly wouldn't have been cost free.

 

Your 1st post seems to indicate that you are relatively new to yacht racing, and training up new crew.  Which is highly commendable.  However, I firstly don't buy the argument that gybing using a sprit, then putting it back on a pole is easier - that just sounds like you're using a-sails and adding an unnecessary complication.  have you thought about ditching the pole and just going for the A-sails?  that should get you a drop in the rating. 

 

Also, no one has stopped you coming out racing with your setup.  Just, perhaps, impacted on your chances of winning.  If you're honest though, how much difference will it really make?  Whenever someone moans about their handicap, an interesting thing to do is to take their last 5 races and say "How much would your handicap have to change so that you went up or down 1 place?"  And "how much would your handicap have to change for you to have won?"

 

Don't forget that by having your setup, versus a standard setup, there will be situations where your boat is materially faster.  And IRC rates the boat, not the crew.

 

I have to admit we were lucky with costs.

The kite was from ebay...no surprise. There were a lot of ex-Momentum kites on there last autumn, at a fraction of there new cost, so we bagged a bargain.

Our sprit was again from ebay, a piece of 5mm wall 6065 grade alloy tube. One of our crew is a machinist and I was an aircraft fitter in a previous life, so considerable saving on parts and labour. All the other parts we had including tack line so a minimal cost.

One of the practical reasons for the change is the configuration of our pulpit. Any attempt to tack down an assy just forward of the jib tack would have resulted in a pulpit departing at a rapid rate of knots.

So for us it was a relatively cost effective change that gave us a closer chance of competing with the experienced crews.

cheers

Mole

http://rorcrating.com/images/stories/newsletter/gbrirc-committee/2011/gbr_irc_congress_submissions_2011.pdf - http://rorcrating.com/images/stories/newsletter/gbrirc-committee/2011/gbr_irc_congress_submissions_2011.pdf