I am interested in any personal handicap schemes that clubs operate,and how effective you find they are - or not, as the case may be..!

Thanks,

GGGGGG
07837 239958

We've tried various schemes. Currently we use three categories A B C. All our racing is mixed fleets so A=PY B=PY +10%, C=py+20%. Our aim is to encourage beginners rather than penalise the better sailors so after a quick assessment a novice will be put in C category, an improver on B evry one else is A. These can all be re-assesed usually after a series. But at the end of a year the Cs move to B, and the Bs to A. ( it used to be two years I think. We keep a record of 'improvement'. Pehaps a problem with this is that a middle ranking sailor is often beaten by a novice and this could be seen as counterproductive. 

I would also like to hear about other clubs approach and particularly what their system aims to acheive. 
Are all races on personal?
Is the aim to encourage beginners?
Is the aim to give a personal handicap to all, so that anyone from beginner to expert might win?
ETC.?

At my club we divide people into 5 bands, based on past performance. People who have averaged finishing between 0 and 5% of the race winning corrected time use standard PY numbers, those between 5% and 10% get PY plus 5% and so on up to PY plus 25%.

We dual score the series using both handicaps (not too difficult using Sailwave). Basically you can think of it as an improvers trophy. It also provides an annual measurement of progress which can be used for goal setting. It gives people an awful lot of extra visible progress points. The grin on a youngster's face when he sees that this year he's been put in the same handicap band as Dad is a good sight...

At Bosham Sc  in the Classic Day Boat fleet , a handicap system is used rather like a golf handicap, you come in the top of the fleet  your handicap goes down and vice a verseII THINK  that there is aslight averaging over say three races and 10% max  deviation from PYS. I hate it!! but it works and I am not a mathamatician to explain it in detail. If you go onto BSC website, Classic Dayboats , there are the full results  and if you click on the race number at the top and follow a boat through you can get an idea. I am sur if you need an expert one can be found who would explain it properly. Francis

At Bosham Sc  in the Classic Day Boat fleet , a handicap system is used rather like a golf handicap, you come in the top of the fleet  your handicap goes down and vice a verseII THINK  that there is aslight averaging over say three races and 10% max  deviation from PYS. I hate it!! but it works and I am not a mathamatician to explain it in detail. If you go onto BSC website, Classic Dayboats , there are the full results  and if you click on the race number at the top and follow a boat through you can get an idea. I am sur if you need an expert one can be found who would explain it properly. Francis

I have just  found a note that was circulated giving details of the system, give me your email  and i will send it.

Sounds very Blairite nobody wins everybody loses.

Graham

Speak to Spinnaker SC as they used to, and I believe still do run a very successful personnal handicap system. When I used to sail there for a number of years in the Firefly, Steve Tylecote, Dave Ellis and I who were the 3 top helms at the time on open water, were second rankers at the club. They ran I believe 8 starts for the Firefly at one minute intervals and it was great racing which was reflected in the turnouts which most open meetings would be proud to achieve. And yes our start did not always win.

Best system I have sailed under to date.

Forgot to mention that every so often your starting position was reassessed subject to your performance over the preceeding period.

Burghfield run a VERY successful Wednesday Evening pursuit race using continually adjusting personal handicaps. It has been tried for the "more serious" Sunday sailing, but people didn't seem to like it, but on a Wednesday mid-week it is very good. Typically, we can have 5 or 6 ex (and current) National Champions on the water, as well as just started this year beginners, and up to 70 other boats as well.

See here: http://www.burghfieldsailing.org/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=14&MMN_position=15:15 for many more details!

Blithfield have a personal handicapping system for club racing but nobody understands how it works.

At Sutton Bingham we have three fleets on a Thursday evening.
All fleets use the club yardsticks which I think are normal PY, but with a club adjustment to take into account that the light / fluky winds and tight courses we often have puts boats with spinnakers and trapiezies at a disadvantage.

The 'Bronze' fleet gets a 5 minute headstart. 'Silver' and 'gold' set off together.
I think that the way it works is that if you are in the top three for your fleet in any of the 7 race 'mini series' then you go up to the next fleet.
It's a great motivator to turn up and race in all conditions if you're on the cusp of going 'up a fleet.'

Thanks everyone; plenty of stuff to follow up.

GGGGG