Course recomended for Multi-Class Races

[bleari 0]

Hello,

At my local club there is much debate over the optimum course for fair racing between different boats (e.g. RS200 and a Laser). We use the handicap py system.

Thanks

[Steam Flyer 1,464]

Here is something that is catching on around here, on the US East Coast:

All boats and classes start at the bottom, thru the line just as usual. The actual course can be designated as windward-leeward, windward-gybe-windward-leeward, or whatever mix you like to throw out there. An offset mark can be added at the windward mark, and/or a gate at the leeward, if desired. You can give the faster boats more laps. The kicker is that the finish is a reach from the leeward mark to the finish line, keeping boats finishing away from the starting area.

Adjusting the race course to the skippers' desires and the characteristics of the boats is important. I have sailed at clubs that had boats finishing interfering with boats starting, and that was exciting but not really much fun.

FB- Doug

[tillerman 416]

35 minutes ago, bleari said:

Hello,

At my local club there is much debate over the optimum course for fair racing between different boats (e.g. RS200 and a Laser). We use the handicap py system.

Thanks

That's like asking what is the optimum ball game for fair competition between the New England Patriots and Manchester United.

[JimC 258]

In my opinion, and I've spent some time considering this for our club racing, there is no optimum. Any course you can set will suit some boats and not others, and the wind conditions will vastly influence this. For whatever my opinion is worth the best option is to mix up course types, reach angles all the rest of it as much as possible, with the emphasis on providing courses that are just plain fun to sail. 

UK Portsmouth numbers are, after all, calculated from all the different courses that different clubs round the country use, so there's a sound argument that mixing it up with all sorts of different courses will best reflect the data the handicaps are calculated from.

[bleari 0]

Thanks for you suggestions, I will try to sort this out with my club.

[tillerman 416]

41 minutes ago, JimC said:

In my opinion, and I've spent some time considering this for our club racing, there is no optimum. Any course you can set will suit some boats and not others, and the wind conditions will vastly influence this. For whatever my opinion is worth the best option is to mix up course types, reach angles all the rest of it as much as possible, with the emphasis on providing courses that are just plain fun to sail. 

UK Portsmouth numbers are, after all, calculated from all the different courses that different clubs round the country use, so there's a sound argument that mixing it up with all sorts of different courses will best reflect the data the handicaps are calculated from.

Great advice. 

The answer to my question of what is the optimum ball game for fair competition between the New England Patriots and Manchester United is obviously golf, ten-pin bowling and table tennis.

[Major Tom 48]

On 8/22/2017 at 6:27 PM, Steam Flyer said:

Here is something that is catching on around here, on the US East Coast:

All boats and classes start at the bottom, thru the line just as usual. The actual course can be designated as windward-leeward, windward-gybe-windward-leeward, or whatever mix you like to throw out there. An offset mark can be added at the windward mark, and/or a gate at the leeward, if desired. You can give the faster boats more laps. The kicker is that the finish is a reach from the leeward mark to the finish line, keeping boats finishing away from the starting area.

Adjusting the race course to the skippers' desires and the characteristics of the boats is important. I have sailed at clubs that had boats finishing interfering with boats starting, and that was exciting but not really much fun.

FB- Doug

It makes far more sense to have the finish below the start line so you don't have a bunch of starting boats on starboard beating through a fleet of finishing boats on a port reach........

[Steam Flyer 1,464]

16 minutes ago, Major Tom said:

It makes far more sense to have the finish below the start line so you don't have a bunch of starting boats on starboard beating through a fleet of finishing boats on a port reach........

If you only do reaches and one lap, then yeah. But if you go back up to windward after one lap, then everybody is going thur the start line again. The Race Officer does have to pay a little attention and to time the start sequences at least a little bit. You could move the leeward mark over to the left, enough that it's on or past the starboard-tack layline from the pin, that would minimize traffic hassles.

I've seen this course used with over a 100 boats in 9 or more classes, and it worked fairly well. Windward legs about 3/4 mile and marks spaced apart appropriately, of course.

FB- Doug