Hi Keith

I agree with you on the Supercat 17. It joins the IMO, the Nacra 5.0 as a ratings beater. However, the 5.0 was adjusted back to it's earlier numbers when the PN committe decided to recognize that the assumption that the boat was in racing shape (good sails etc) did not apply to these very old members of the dead boat society of cats. Consequently, they turned back the clock to the data set where these assumptions were valid and now use this data for the rating. I don't know if the same thing happend with the Supercat 17 rating.

The A cat rating has two explanations for why I don't think its a ratings beater. First and foremost is the limitation that WRCRA imposes on itself by not using the wind adjusted numbers for the Tuesday night series. The A boat has a very different performance profile as the wind builds when compared to the heavier sloop rigged boats. Its not as fast relative to other boats in breeze! Since, the DPN rating is centered around Beufort 4 conditions, the A boat sailor will consistently be able to match their relatively high rating and win. (I venture to guess that no more then 4 or 5 Tuesday nights a year have breeze in the 13 to 19 mph range! (I know I never saw 12 knots or better in the Big Boat Wed night series on the West River)

Note: measurement rating systems like texel and SCR also have a tough time fairly rating the uni rigs against the sloops.

Secondly, I think the situations is made the worse by the nature of using fixed goverment marks. Frequently, the leg's become reaches... Most boats go about the same speed on a reach and since the A boat is among the slower rated boats (of the newer boats with decent sails) in your fleet it also has a distinct advantage in these conditions.

IMO, the best solution is to use the wind adjusted ratings. The overwhelming number of races will be in Beufort 2 or Beufort 3 (the same rating number) It's pretty clear when you have strong breeze... eg you see some whitecaps and call it a B4 race.

You also have to hope that the wind gods allow you to set a bit more windward leeward courses without the long reaching legs.

Take Care
Mark