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General Handicap Fleet
The Handicap
Class includes all the boats in the Club which are not in the
established Laser and Solo Classes. As new boats are being produced,
we end up with a wide range of boats of different size and performance
in the Handicap Class.
A race amongst these boats uses a handicap system which compares the
performance rating of each boat according to its PYR, which is short
for Portsmouth Yardstick Rating. These
ratings have been established over time by the RYA,. the Royal
Yachting Association, under whose rules we race.
They are periodically revised from results which are annually
returned to the RYA from sailing clubs.
The results of a race are determined by how a boat sails according to
its handicap, based on the time taken to sail over a distance.
Faster boats often sail more laps than slower boats, but the result
depends upon how well the boat sails according to it’s handicap.
Frequently, slow boats fare well in the results, not only the
skill of the helmsman, but also the lottery of the changing wind
conditions affect the outcome.
Handicap racing, therefore, is more of a challenge to sail as fast as
conditions allow, rather than tactically trying to outsmart your
rivals on a boat for boat basis. If there happens to be a few similar
boats there is added interest as it then becomes a race within a race.
At the end of a race, the time is noted when a boat crosses the
finishing line and this time, together with the number of laps sailed,
is computed to work out the time taken per lap to determine the
positions. Therefore the
results are not known until some time after the race.
The start of a Handicap race is a very complex affair with high speed
machines mixing it with lesser mortals, but once started the boats
become sorted out in a virtual procession, consequently there are
fewer incidents compared with Class racing where rivalry is
known to be close and intense.
We are a friendly Class and welcome newcomers to our fold.
Make yourselves known and we will try to encourage you in your
introduction to the sport of sailing.
A The
club organises several Handicap races throughout the year which are
open to non members. These
are the Bank Holiday Monday one day events , the well known October
Regatta, the Club Pursuit Race, the Autumn ‘Frostbite’ Series, the
Winter ‘Blue Robin’ Series and the Christmas events.
Details of these events can be found in the Club Booklet on
this website.
Feel welcome to join us.
Once you have sailed on our ‘pond’ you will find it hard to keep
away !.
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