Forum: Race Committee & Race Management

Class breaks in handicap racing

Jonah Zimmerman
Nationality: United States
I do a lot of handicap (PHRF) racing and a common post-race discussion topic is how the particular wind + sea state conditions favored some boats over others within our class. Usually that's used as an excuse for why we got beaten but I was curious if this were ever taken to extremes, could it be used as grounds to request redress? For example if a race has low attendance then the PHRF classes may have a wide variety of boats, with some bigger cruising boats and smaller sportboats. In that case there are definitely conditions where one style of boat would have a significant advantage. It seems like the disadvantaged boats would have their scores made significantly worse through no fault of their own thus meeting the condition for redress under 61.4b. However I think one would have to argue that the particular class breaks are an improper action by the organizers under 61.4b1. Could such an argument ever have merit?
Created: Today 06:18

Comments

Format:
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Michael Butterfield
No, this is just the limitation of handicap racing. 

It would have been in the. Nor and the boat chose to enter. So fault? 
Created: Today 07:13
Jim Champ
Nationality: United Kingdom
I suppose it would be possible for a sufficiently biased RC to engineer class splits as to favour individual boats or classes, even more so if course selection and handicaps were brought into the mix. I do recall an incident where an RO said, when queried about a bizarrely penal handicap my class had been given for an event, stating that he had heard we had won everything at a major event a few miles away, and didn't want it happening at his club. What made this particularly amusing was that the style of course set for the first event particularly favoured our boats, and the style of course for this gentleman's event completely precluded such a happening.

I suppose if the bias were malicious and sufficiently egregious and blatant, it might just shade into misconduct under RRS69, although it seems a stretch. Maybe if there were significant cash prizes. But otherwise I agree with Michael, this is the nature of the game. Every -or at least most- dog has its day. Its not an improper action to set class splits or even courses that favour some boats over others for handicap events, indeed its pretty much impossible to avoid. 
Created: Today 07:47
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Michael Butterfield
Rrs 69 is against a competitoror suoport person, not a raceofficial. 
Created: Today 08:16
Kirsteen Donaldson
I'm not familiar with PHRF but I think IRC is a similar system, classifying a broad range of cruising and racing ballasted monohull keel boats for competition by providing ratings comprising single figure allowances based on time.  It provides the following guidance to race management.  "With the ever-increasing range of boat types racing under IRC, it is inevitable that courses and conditions will affect race results. Race Committees can minimise these effects by considering carefully the types of courses set. Conditions are beyond the control of a race committee, but even then course location may be significant. ... Noting also that a balance of course types is a fundamental part of fair yacht racing, it is strongly recommended that race committees should set a variety of courses. For IRC regional or national championships this should be stipulated as a requirement."  There  is more detailed comment in Section 5 of IRC Race Management 
As both a competitor under IRC and race official, I have no issue with conditions in some races favouring one type of boat over another, but in a series running over the course of a year, expect that every boat will have its day, provided the race official follows the guidance of setting a variety of courses. 
What can be an issue is the safety argument: on a day with marginal conditions, heavy boats could compete safely and do well but the race organisers abandon races because it is perceived to be unsafe for light boats (though some do cope well), and in light conditions, the light boats are favoured.  

Created: Today 09:17
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