that's pretty much it.
An important fact to understand is how the ratings are derived. In the case of Portsmouth (generally the only system used for catamarans in the US), the numbers are achieved based on race committee's sending in the results of the racing including elapsed times and wind strengths. Other systems use boat parameters (width, sail area, daggerboard type, etc.) and yet other systems use a combination of the two....but I'm not going into that debate.
The formula used for Portsmouth ratings is as follows. More can be found at the
US Sailing Website .
CT = ET/HC x 100
Where:
CT = corrected time
ET = elapsed time
HC = D-PN or wind handicap number
MF = modification factor
Score race based on shortest corrected time = 1st, etc.
