The major problem with all handicapping processes is, that none of them make allowance for sailing ability.
So you are saying that those with less skill should win? So If you use numbers to remove the differences in the physical properties of the boats and then use numbers to remove the difference in skill of the sailors, is it really racing or can it now be classified gambling? (since it's all up to chance)
No quite the opposite although most human activity is a gamble to some extent. You pays your money and you takes your chances.
No, any rating system (handicap) can only be based on past performances as its primary indicator (that's all there is). In my case, I race an F14 against a fleet of different class boats. Because I win regularly my handicap continues to be adjusted, as it should, to compensate for the boat's ability. At some stage in the future though, the boat will be rating evenly against the rest of the fleet and will probably not win more than it's even share of races and I'm OK with that though the problem is, when I raced on those other class boats I was almost unbeatable but now it's the boat which is seen to be winning and not the skipper. As a result, eventually the boat will probably be handicapped out of contention.
I guess that over time, with the diversity of ability amongst sailors racing in any one class, the results would even out but in the meanwhile anyone contemplating racing an F14 for example, would find it hard to win in a mixed fleet and the same goes for a lot of classes. Once the top sailors have set the benchmark, it's difficult for that class to win in mixed fleet racing.
Maybe, if the results of the top sailors in any given class were not included in historic data it would be more equitable.
