Looks like you top boys have been winding up Nick Craig. To cut a bit from him on the RS group dicussing the top club competition.

'if Ugs can get the Merlin handicap changed so they no longer start in front of and then yot away on straight line speed with their carbon masts, kevlar boats etc'

Maybe he should try a Merlin!

Ugs is afraid of Merlins - too many bits of string for his liking.

Forgive my note but the performance end of the RS market have Carbon masts & Kevlar sails? Designed to take advantage of latest building methods/materials with no rules to hold them back. Surely it's not hard to design a fast boat & market it to the flock.
Chear performance class racing, PY's take a few yrs of returns to develop, I suspect his fleet have good sailors or swimers resulting in a conservative PY.
Time will tell.
 ps I'd prefer the Musto Skiff!

Chear should read Cheap.

Maybe it's becasue we sail merlins so we only hear about the merlin PY being "wrong" in the opinion of people we beat, but the merlin is far from the only class that has developed and not had a PY change.

Phantoms have gone carbon rigged, laminate sails and self draining (Though the rig weight may be a disadvantage as they get less inertia when they pump!)

GP14s have gone wide bow, self draining and FRP hulls.

Fireballs have gone wide bow and FRP and also laminate sails.

And all those are supposedly one designs. To say nothing of the extreme development classes like the moth! Even the laser has changed the rig layout to make it more user friendly to sail!!

Exactly all classes develop in one way or another, The best sailors in the best prepared boats over a variety of classes always shine through and long may it be so.

Merlins are also in general sailed by very good sailors, which is why some get to the front. But not all. Look atthe results, of the MR that finished inthe BM ranged from 2nd to 134 out of 213 finishers.

People move up to a Merlin. John Holland moved from Ent to MR, in club racing, in light winds at Hampton, he would be neck and neck (same CSF as)with Phil Chambers. In the BM Phil finish 17th and 1st Senior in his Ent, John finished 116. Make of that what you will.

Must agree with Alan, different people get on better in different boats. For instance sailing my Merlin at Cookham we can have some good battles in the fleet, however sailing my OK i have been beating the Merlins on the water quite convincingly of recent. How does that work then? Guess i just get on better in the OK than in a Merlin. Does not mean i prefere it though!!!!

I have recently switched from Phantom to Merlin and i hae to agree, having sailed against the latest carbon rigged Epoxy phantoms they are miles off their handicap now! The Merlin is a development class therefore, there will always be some kind of discrepancy with PY even within the class itself.

Why get stressed about handicaps?

Handicap racing is a necessary evil of the winter and cannot be an exact science.

We're all going to be racing each other come spring.

Correct

Ooh, I never liked that Nick Craig, he was always beating me in Cadets at Frensham Pond!

the handycap getting changed? I heared that it is but dont know if its true. 

At some handycap events that I have done over the winter perlins have been finishing 1,2,3 in some of them. This is very impressive but is should all these people be beating others such as Niel Marsden so easily!!

I've heard nothing about any handicap change so presumably not.

yes, because he was in a 420 and there was no wind. if there had been some wind or he was in some other boat im sure he would have had more of an impact.
you have to face the fact that in different conditions handicaps change.  merlins are just good in the light to med stuff. as soon as trapeze boats get the crew on the wire they are away.  unless there are different handicaps for each condition i think things are fine how they are. its swings and round-abouts really.

Jon, the reason some of us get excited about handicaps is because we have no choice but to race handicap all year e.g. anywhere in Scotland, almost all clubs in the North, and the majority of clubs elsewhere.  

If the class is serious about attracting new members, then the Merlin has to be competitive in a handicap fleet, unless you think that the expansion can be wholly fuelled from attracting new talent at clubs with single class racing.

Just wondering, how do the Scottish Merlins get on in in handicap racing, are they competitive?

Here on the Island the fleet at Gurnard has grown 100% this winter, yes theres now two of us! The Club is quite happy for us to race off the age allowence PY's to the extent that it is moving the py cutofs to allow both boats to race together in its medium handicap fleet. One boat being 11yrs old the other 23yrs young. What nice people.

ps the 23yr old boat was very competative last season on 1044 albiet very up to date

Alan, Last season was my first in Merlins.  I am racing a Smokers (3076) on the Inner Moray Firth in a mixed fleet of Lasers, a Phantom, RS400, Intl Moth, Wayfarers, GP 14s, Picos etc.  The club has accepted the class handicap figures. With old sails and rig, no permanent crew and a learning curve which could double as a very exciting ski run, I am managing mid-fleet or a little better.

I'm one of two merlins at Tewkesbury sailing club although the other one is numbered 1700 but with deck stepped nearly modern rig.  Being new to the class i havnt raced at our club yet (doing the winter series at bowmoor)although i'm trying to get the adjusted handicaps to be passed by the racing commitee, which is made up mostly of the albacore and solo fleet !!!

Russ, have you got that Adur 7?

No, Rhapsody in blue 3374, 1700 is owned by Brian Mann and Chris Hall

Don't forget Russ. Both Chris and I are on the committee this year and the Sailing Sec. has promised to consider our pleas!

In response to Alan F's Question  - yes the Scottish Merlins are competitve on handicap. Calum and Hamish have had regatta wins at Royal Tay Dinghy weekend Fast Handicap fleet, 1st and 4th at Royal Findhorn Dinghy week  ( racing agin national 18's Phantoms and Moths) 1st and 2nd in the Champion of Champions at RFYC ( and I still cant workout how i finished second!) Wins at Newburgh regatta and at Tay week. Need I say more.

Splendid, having done a race at Bowmoor i need all the help i can get, the phantom was much much easier then the Merlin.  Also i'm struggling to remember there are two of us in the boat now !