You have the US F16 Nationals coming up in two months and F16 Worlds next month. Are there any plans to record team weights?

Hmm... has the F16 Class collected finish times at their NA's or even any of the scheduled one design events... before you worry about two up crew weights versus wind speed... how about the one up versus two up debate.

The analysis that Kris suggests really needs time data as well.

None that I am aware of at the moment. More variables exist in those events. US Sailing's Multihull Championship is perfect in that it holds the boat variable constant.

It wouldn't be a problem, we have the scales. Glad to act as the weight committee.*

There is no class rule requiring it that I'm aware of.

* I weight myself five times a week. No matter how long I stare, the dial doesn't move.

Time data would be nice but it is not necessary with the Alter Cup data. It is extra overhead on the RC and was not collected at the Alter Cup (I think). It is already "captured" between the wind strength variable and order of finish resultant. It would allow predictions on the timed margin of "victory" but does not help any with analyzing the crew weight variable and its influence on the results given the other data that is available.

I read a study done in the '70s regarding weight and a number of other variables.

Their finding regarding weight was a penalty of 1 second per lb. per mile.

I did not know there were any one-ups at the Alter Cup . Stay focused Mark. The discussion from the event is about crew weight relative to wind strength. Wandering off on tangents only muddies the water and ultimately results in a mash-up with little resolution.

Using the Alter Cup as your measuring stick for determining the effect of crew weight on performance may not be your best bet. While all crews are sailing the same boats, the boats are also set up identically. Adusting and tuning of the rig to maximize the boats performance for your weight and conditions is not permitted. ie....heavier crews were not permitted to power up their rigs in the light stuff and light crews were not allowed to depower their rigs in the heavier stuff.

Doesn't that leave just skill and weight as variables?

Yes, but you have amplified the impact crew weight has on the outcome of a race.

Amplified or isolated? I suppose a towing test would be better.

Weight has been a question as long as I can remember, I'd just like to gather some facts.

You are thinking in the extremes. Sure, the boats are set up the same general range. Sure it is not optimized to the extreme for feathweight or monster teams but close enough that the downhaul, rotation, outhaul, and sheeting can control the sail shape pretty damn well. I am sure that AHPC/Red Line Racing setup the boats (thanks guys!) the best they could according to the conditions every day such that it was not an overwhelming variable. You get much better data holding the boats constant than introducing the additional variable set associated with differently tuned boats. Further, the beauty of multivariant regression analysis is that it works on averages and produces variable coefficients that can also be mathematically assessed in terms of reliability and probability. Obviously, there could also be outlyer tests conducted on the data to assess if a team's result(s) are out of the normal range of expected outcomes.

Huh?

BTW, full results are up.

On the US Sailing site.

So Nigel got flushed. Would someone explain how you have two 9's in race 10A.

I still remember some of the basics from my econometrics studies. Multiple regression modeling is a very statistically sound method to analyze data of this sort. Not only to you derive the coefficients for the variables but there are "tests" to determine the confidence level of the individual coefficients. Then there are further "test" to assess outlyers and "goodness of fit" of the model.

Dead heat? Maybe both DNF or DNS?

Probably a redress situation.

I am a catamaran sailor. I have no use for your voodoo science!

LOL...That is my response once the engineers start equating!!!