Lough Foyle Yacht Club

Light winds F2-3 with strong tides made todays racing very tactical.Congratulations to Dermot M who was sailing well in his new ICON class dinghy with Owen McC.

Dermot M with his new ICON

Dermot and the ICON have been awarded an LFYC handicap of 1127 (the same as a fast GP). Congratulations also to Alan T who sailed Dermot M’s Phantom with great expertise.

LFYC fleet getting ready for racing

Bill and Brigid J are sailing very well with a well deserved win in the second race.

Very tight race times. Alan T was sailing Dermot M’s phantom and has been awarded an LFYC handicap of 1100.

I did not see this race but can see from the results that Danny and Gareth G are sailing very well, setting themselves up very nicely for the GP14 Worlds later this year.

LFYC Handicap notes: Danny and Gareth G LFYC handicap will be adjusted to 1127 from this point onward.

In LFYC we operate a handicap system to try and make club racing as fair as possible for all sailors at various skill levels sailing in a variety of boats. This article will attempt to explain it.

The RYA PY

The LFYC Handicap is based on the RYA PY of the boat. The Portsmouth Yardstick is a system where boats of different classes are given a number, known as a PY number. Different boats get different PY numbers depending how fast the boat is deemed to be. Each year various sailors send the RYA times around a fixed course. These times are average out and a PY is calculated. 1000 is divided by the PY and multiplied by the race time to get a corrected time.

http://www.rya.org.uk/racing/Pages/portsmouthyardstick.aspx

For example say a race takes 1 hours or 3600 seconds then:

3600 X 1000/980 would represent a fast boat like a FIREBALL (3672 corrected time)

3600 X 1000/740 would represent an ultra fast boat like a 49ER (4865 corrected time)

3600 X 1000/1127 would represent a fast new GP14 (3194 corrected time)

The PY is amended each year. Quete often the PY gets smaller as boat design improves. The annual amendment is made using the newest boats in the class.

Some very new designs of boat do not have a PY awarded for several years until the class gets established.

The GP14’s we sail in LFYC are the best GP’s around (Alistar Duffin makes a fine boat) and so top of the fleet LFYC sailors sail their GP’s at the PY.

A brand new LASER with new sails is quete different from a 10 or 20 year old LASER. A new plastic Phantom is a very different from a wooden Phantom.

The LFYC handicap

The LFYC handicap adds numbers to the agreed RYA PY number to allow for the age, method of manufacture and condition of the boat. We also add to the PY to allow for the skill level of the skipper and crew.

The LFYC handicap helps to make the racing fairer and closer. It is not an absolute system and it is limited by invisible boundaries of reason. For example a GP sailing at a PY of 1400 no matter how old would seem a bit beyond reasonable. The LFYC Handicap is awarded at the begining of the year. It is adjusted from time to time to accomodate new sailors and changes in performance based on results. Appeals can be made where LFYC Handicap appears unfair. Appeals will be heard in good faith and if appropriate changes may be made.

When races are Long and Close the LFYC Handicap seems to play a bigger part. Say a race of 1 hour 20 minutes (4800 seconds) finishes with just 100 seconds between first and third boat this is what  happens when the LFYC Handicap is applied:

1^st across line 4800 X 1000/1127 a well sailed fast GP14 = 4259 corrected time 3^rd place

2^nd across line 4850 X 1000/1180 a slower GP14 = 4110 corrected time 2^nd place

3^rd across line 4900 X 1000/1195 an older LASER = 4100 corrected time 1^st place

It is clear from this illustration that if slower boats can finish close to the leaders then their handicap will bring them up the ranks. So, if you are sailing a fast boat to its PY then watch the boats behind you, don’t slow down till you cross the line, you may be first across but the seconds before the next boats finishes count to great effect.

In this blog I will try (not always, its more hassle) to publish the corrected time (for example 3895) in seconds beside each set of race results.

Start from the perch, Muff, Faughan, Power station, twice round. Light winds F1-2. Flooding tide near high water but still strong.

Anton H made a good first beat down to Muff but was caught up by Ken L and Dermot M in the second beat. A large tanker came along in the middle of  the race causing Ken L/David L to lose some distance.

Some new skippers and crew tonight which was great to see. Gareth and Richard G took command of the Gallagher boat leaving the regular skipper on the shore. (LFYC handicap award 1190). Alan T was sailing a Laser and awarded LFYC handicap of 1195.

Sailing in Culmore Bay. Light winds (F2 to 3 dropping. easterly)> A good luffing battle between Ken L, David L.
Nice to see George G back in his Solo. He bought a new mast after his boat was plastered to the castle wall during in a winter gale!

Racing was cancelled today due to many of the fleet being away at the Swords GP14 event and others being away at the Loughs Agency/Ocean Youth Trust training day.

A drizzly evening that started windy (f4) but dropped later to very light. Racing in Culmore bay. Anton H brought the phantom out. Thanks to the James H snr for the rescue boat duties and to George D and Peter F snr as OD.

I didnt see this race myself, but from the results I can see that James H and Ryan L were out sailing and doing well in Keith L’s boat I guess. The Gallaghers did very well in both races.There was a very close battle between James L/Owen McC and the Johnsons in race two with the Johnsons just shaving it.