I posted this on the main forum, but someone here may have the answer.

What rating system is used for large multihulls and does that system allow for them to race with monohulls, either around buoys or off-shore?

For example I have seen pictures of Farrier tris competing with monohulls, even in the Fastnet, and wonder what system is used. Here in the Chesapeake the multihull group has an internal (I think) rating system that doesn't resemble PHRF, which is used for the keel boats here, so I'm not sure what they do when they complete with monos. Maybe they aren't allowed to compete with monohulls for things like line honors...
The US IRC system that is being heavily promoted this year doesn't seem to be for multihulls (the sign up form asks what model of monohull you own). The same is true for Americap.


Are mulithulls getting shut out of amateur off shore racing with these new rating systems? That seems counter to the general trend towards recognition of the multihull's superiority in speed for off-shore distance racing, up to and including around the world stuff.

David

Most local area mixed fleets use PHRF numbers but of course that won't get your Corsair into a big national mono regatta. There is no good handicapping system to equalize mono vs. multi hulled boats, which is why I race one-design only.

Racing against a stopwatch is crap, unless you are just adding small corrections to a fleet of very similar boats. The last time I did that, a boat I never saw finished 45 minutes behind me and won the race! How are you supposed to "cover" a boat you can't see?

The best thing you can do is continue to pass the leaners as quickly as possible, they will get tired of you laughing at them as you fly by with the hot babe spread out on the tramp, while they must feed a cast of thousands to sit on the rail and go 6 kts, sell their lead mines and get a Corsair! Soon there will be nothing but Corsairs to race, in one-design fleets of course!