Hows else are you suposed to do it??? Performance, as Wouter has pointed out is more related to the skill of the crew on the boat. So you cant derive a fair Yardstick from that. Measurement is therefore the only way to do it. You can go off and create your own class of boat ignoring the rating systems involved or you can create one that is optimised for racing to a rating. Somethng some of the heavier F16s should consider. You dont have to add wieght either, you can achieve the same result buy removing sail area, or one or all of the other factors in the ratings calculator.
The 2 optimised 104s that sailed at texel finished within 10 seconds of each other, truth is it was a lot closer than that. After 4 hrs of sailing that is quite remarkable. I believe the crews to be a very similar wieght and skill level. The two boats looked and behaved very differently but in the end turned out to be as evenly matched as you could get.
Wouldn't this point to the 104 rule being a good one? Who needs extensive class rules? Just make sure your boat is a 104 and your away. Doesn't matter if the boat is 18 ft or 16, just make it fit the rule and come racing. I would happily compete against an F18 modified to fit 104 on the spitfire or the Nacra F17. I doubt any of the f16 crews would feel as confident even though on paper they hold the advantage.
Looking very much foward to doing some more 104 sailing this season.
Sue xxx
Macca,
All you've actually said above is that SCHRS works as it should.
Make boats rate the same under SCHRS and assuming helms and crews are of equal skill, they finish very close.
It does not matter if you position the rule at F1.035; F1.045; Or even allow a spread; all that happens is that boats will be designed to fit the rules that are applied.
