A tactic used overhere is to seperate the fleet into two classes. One with a rating of 110 or more under Texel (P18, H16, P16 , Dart 18's , Nacra 5.0 etcs) and one with a rating of 110 or less (F-20, F18's, nacra 6.0 etc + all spi boats)

Sometimes we start together sometimes we have two starts. Boat race handicap in their group and boats with more than 1o boats get a seperate Formula / one-design listing in the end results.

If you get covered by a Prindle 18 with spi when you're on a Nacra 6.0 then you sailed badly to begin with And you need only to blame yourself. And if you can't sail yourself clear of him then you're not much of a sailor anyway. I really don't see the difference by being covered by a baot of different make who sailed alot better or a trailing boat of the same make because you sailed badly as well. Okay YOU think you deserve a better placing but the reality is that you don't.

Now mostly these worst case scenarios don't happen. Covering a Nacra 6.0 on a P18 is stupid; you both loose speed hindering eachother and teh P18 has already won because of the handicap calculations. Chances are that the P18 will just have to keep his noose clean to won over the nacra 6.0. nacra 6.0 needs to gain alot of time on the P18 and therefor the most likely outcome is that the N6.0 will tack away and the P18 will stay on his course and choose clean air and free way over tacking to cover the N6.0. The P18 may eventually tack to to make sure that he is sailing in the same winds as the N6.0 when both are ahead in the fleet and fighting for a high placing. But this is not covering in the OD sense; it is hedging your chances and it does not require to be in close proximity of the N6.0; just to be in same area.

Personally I don't give much credit to a winner in a class of 5 O-D boats; I respect more a winner in a class of 25 PN boats.

I do think that splitting the PN fleet in bands is a good way to make PN sailing alot more fair. I mean A P16 can trully cover a H16 as their speeds are so close together. Wind changes or wave condition pretty much affect the two boats in the same way.


Wouter