Sorry Kevin.... I just picked your post to comment on because you were reporting people's point of view ... of i am not racing against X. (as opposed to one of the participants who is knee deep in the drama)

It doesn't really matter if you think you are racing the smaller boat... He is certainly racing you on the larger boat... Now you can keep score or don't keep score... but human nature will focus on the difference... and the little boat beating the big boat will be noticed and discussed.

This debate was argued 3 or 4 months ago... The one design proponents (no... I am not racing the F18... keep that handicap stuff far away from the pristine race that is the Tybee versus me... score it on handicap and all ways but Sunday.... Euro style (for lack of a better word).

What happened?...
The end result was ONE RACE, scored on handicap AND two Races in one design F18 and N20. Pretending that no racing existed between the two fleets or between the sailors in each area of the pecking order is just silly and the OA saw this. Matt M makes my point in a more polite manner.

My position is consistent... The racing scene in the US is at a tipping point in most regions of the country. Hell,the Tybee race is seemingly in doubt again.

Competition and passing boats is a fundamental element of sailboat racing. In any OD fleet you have a big range of skills and the pecking order doesn't change much... When it gets small.... it dies. So IMO, You need to make sure that these elements are in every race we run. Racing on handicap is not perfect but it gives the top guys somebody else to race against and so on down the pecking orders. When you can get 20 to 30 boats on the line...event after event it's a different story.

Either we recognize the reality or we watch race after race crater.