I could care less how many hulls.
That's because you're not a catsailor...
Jeff, take us through your NE circuit, and list the events with the other classes on each circle, starting order, types of courses/number of laps vs. the other boats, pros/cons and any other details that might help us get an idea of what works well (and what doesn't).
Mike
Sticking to the multi-class events that we don't run:
Wickford Regatta: We will likely be on a course with 505s and A-cats. We will sail WL courses, and will likely have a longer weather mark than the 505s. We sail with the 505s a lot, and it works fine. One thing to remember with the 505s is they have very different downwind modes and angles depending on the breeze and whether they are sit-running or wiring
Newport Regatta: We typically are on a course with 49ers, FX, VXone, A cats. I believe we have all sailed the same course in the past, and usually F18s start first. The VXone are a fair bit slower, but it is a small fleet and they haven't been a problem. They sail similar angles downwind which is nice. The 49ers also sail very similar angles which makes things easy. They also talk a lot of smack, but can't back it up with speed!
Hyannis: We share a course with J22s. They use a shorter weather mark and we start first. The angle and speed are very different, so there shouldn't be much interaction (although there has been a collision in the past).
HPDO: In the past we have shared with Viper 640s and K6s. Interacting with the Vipers can be tough because it is a very large fleet and they are just fast enough to be annoying. WIth a J22 you just cruise past, no worries. Vipers sail high enough angles and are almost fast enough to get in the way. We've had some crazy finishes at HPDO.
Overall, I think it is easy to share courses with boats that are either very similar speed and sailing style (49er) or very different (J22). In either case, the interaction is fairly predictable. It's when you have something like a Viper that is in between is when things are slightly more difficult. That said, the Viper guys are a lot of fun and I don't mind sharing with them. I would personally rather share a course with a 49er than a Hobie 16 because the speeds and angles are much closer.
I will say, the rules knowledge in parts of our fleet is the lowest of any I have raced in, which can be detrimental when racing in bigger events.
