![]() ?Īs a kid I was wedged into the companionway of my parents’ half tonner 2 or 3 times a week. In those cases you can’t take the results too seriously. Where it does all fall apart is in smaller club racing situations where dissimilar boats are being rated against each other. ![]() It’s more complicated than one design of course, but, assuming the ratings in the class are within a reasonably narrow band, those wins are likely deserved. There are plenty of examples of well prepared and optimised boats, well sailed, who win handicap races consistently. As said above, an older design can be very competitive which can be (relatively) cost effective.Different designs do better in different conditions, so more competitors get a chance of a win.You’re racing the rule as well as your competitors. Prepping the boat and optimising it to the rating is part of the challenge.Or take a chance on a design you have a hunch might rate well and optimise it. You can study the results across lots of events, see what designs typically do well in your likely conditions, and get one of those.If you’re a boat geek, it’s fun to see 30 or 40 years’ worth of designs tricked out and racing.Here are some of the upsides as I see them. Plenty has been said about the many downsides of handicap racing. ![]() Since then I’ve raced in CHS, then IRC events for 25+ years. Many of us on here could take most 15-20 yo J109s and make them competitive for new sails plus 10k or so for a polish ( remembering that a strong OD association and circuit keeps up the resale value further depreciation would be minimal).Īnd you wouldn't have to headscratch about exactly which IRC design to choose, or what sail wardrobe to optimise for which particular race or series.Ĭlick to expand.As a kid I was wedged into the companionway of my parents’ half tonner 2 or 3 times a week. I was a stalwart racer in both terrific boats I loved both but I think the main advantage of the 700 was to Nick Peters' wallet. But again the association / manufacturer focussed all attention, marketing, events on the new boat. Suddenly you had 30-40 boats at random open meetings. Likewise the RS600, instead of being killed off by the RS700, saw a resurgence of interest as the 10-15yo boats became available and affordable. Hey, you wouldn't wanna be stuck being the last J80 owner in the non-existent fleet. Who pays for the marketing, sets the strategy, makes the decisions? Enter the J70. ![]() Any of which could have won in the right hands. The J80 was in the late 2000s just reaching a stage where meaningful numbers of secondhand boats were available at a really affordable price some of which were getting decent results. We'd all have more fun for less money.ĭon't agree. ![]() We should aspire to a twenty-five or thirty year lifespan for the class, or more. The association should own the design and invite tenders for a seven-year builder's franchise. Or is there potential for sailors to organise ourselves better, choose and populate a smaller number of OD classes, and build strong class associations to give the builders a moderately hard time so owners get value, quality and longevity? In my imaginary world we would have an attainable sports boat (J80 style), a flst-out sports boat (Melges style), a 35 footer (J109 or so) and a 45 footer (can't think of anything). Or "what boat should I buy to be competitive, and how long might that last until the rule gets tweaked again?". So much of handicap racing is "my rating is tough" or "your boat rates better in today's conditions. As in, of course talking about boats is interesting and comparing them as an academic exercise is all very well.but wouldn't you rather talk about the skill of the skipper/crew, the great start they got to deliver the preferred strategy, the lovely tactics at the leeward mark? Which in my experience characterise one-design bar chat from Lasers up to Farr 40s. Not being deliberately obtuse, but I just don't find this sort of conversation interesting. Click to expand.Do people actually like handicap racing? ![]()
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