So you would expect Portsmouth to take this into account! The ratings should get faster!

So from 2005 to 2010
A period where you saw the builders evolve from:
Tiger to Tiger upgrades to Wildcat
Nacra F18 to Nacra Infusion
Cap 1 to Cap 2

the USPN rating
2010
62.4 65.4 63.9 61.3 59.5

2008
62.4 65.4 63.9 61.3 59.5

2006
62.4 65.4 63.9 61.3 59.5


2005
62.6 66.1 64.4 61.5 59.5


Hmm... that would be a change in DPN rating of .2!

Bottom Line.... Either you assume that PN is working and the data don't support... "F18's are faster"... or you say... well we just don't have ANY data of any kind! (the basic underlying problem with Portsmouth and the major reason that it is broken).

A larger point about accuracy of ratings.... the intrinsic noise of a sailboat race means that you just can't resolve this perceived increase in speed in the ratings tables.

You are asking for a level of resolution that the game of handicap sailboat racing can't deliver.

the guy on the helm is the biggest factor. Struble races a vintage Flyer 1 in the US worlds and is in the top 10 until a breakdown.... wins 2010 NA's on current ride... Is it Struble or the boat.... (It's Struble)

This years Europeans... an Aussie young sailor on a Flyer I with high aspect boards is at the top of the fleet.

In both cases... the variance due to boat development is much much smaller then the other factors in a sailboat race ... (See my Farr 40 example)

When the top sailors upgrade their equipment.... you underestimate their skill and over rate the boat....

For this debate. Portsmouth can't resolve this "F18's are faster notion" Measurement ratings recognize the resolution limits of handicap racing and do not try to refine their formula to get another decimal place... it's a waste of time.

One Design Racing will have more "real" resolution then handicap racing but this is not the issue.

The issue is... Which handicap system has complete integrity and fairly rates the boats in a timely and transparent manner.