Interesting comments, Wout... I could agree in principle with the concentration aspect. That's what distance races boil down to: how well a crew can stay focused.

Even on shorter distance events, the wind pattern varies (sometimes significantly) which can dramatically affect performance. From what I've seen, a well sailed 16 could keep up with a 20 in certain conditions. The variety of conditions found in a long distance (greater than 50 miles) usually widen the performance gap, alluding to John's comments regarding more work by the RC to keep track of everyone.

Not to dissuade anyone from participating in distance events like Tybee 500, but look at the *uncorrected* results from smaller distance races (like those I mention below). Most, if not all, of those races are sailed by experienced people. Even so, extrapolating the time differences over a period of 5 days shows some significant time discrepancies.

A staggered start is an interesting thought. However, using the Mug Race as an example, these starts have some challenges of their own. Conditions change throughout the day, and a "set" starting time would expose each sailor to different conditions (eg, morning starters would have to bob for a while waiting on the breeze, only to be run over by the bigger boats that start after the breeze fills in)

To go off on a tangent .... Robi - if you're really interested in distance stuff, how about Steeplechase, Hogsbreath 100, Macho Man, or even Hiram's Haul? Those would be excellent primers for something like Tybee 500 or A-1000. All require 2-up crews, and are either 1 or 2 day races. This would give you a good idea of what could feasably happen at Tybee.