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Bump's World - April 2013
April 22, 2013
In California a new rule began. This rule was not based on the measurements of a boat be rather on observed performance. Fill out a form with some basic questions about your boat, pay a small fee and get a handicap. The local handicapper would observe the results and make changes in the handicap so that the better sailed boats won most of the races. This was the beginning of PHRF.
At that time there were about 2500 boats measured and handicapped under the other rules. Within a few years tens of thousands of boats in North America were racing with local PHRF handicaps. PHRF fleets were locally organized and gave their own handicaps. They adjusted those handicaps as they felt necessary. They gave credits and penalties if the original boat was modified. The cost was low, averaging about 20 dollars per certificate. There are measurement fees and quick turn around time. Sometimes boats were given certificates the same day as the race.
There was no national organization, only individual fleets. US sailing did not know what to do, so for the most part they ignored PHRF. PHRF did not required their members to join US Sailing. All measurement rules require that you join US Sailing.
I went to a US Sailing meeting in the late 1980s, representing PHRFNE with 1200 members. There were 3 days of meetings. There was 1 meeting that lasted for 1 hour on PHRF. At that time there were about 1000 measurement certificates and 50,000 PHRF.
In the 1990s US Sailing did get the individual fleets to join as a fleet members. They also began to collect and publish PHRF rating among their now member fleets. They still sell this book for $25.00. They also collected boat measurements for standard boats and published this.
US Sailing does not like PHRF because PHRF uses all the resources that US Sailing provides to run a race and the individuals do not pay any thing for that. In most races, the race committees have been trained by US Sailing and also the judges. The rules of how to run a race and the rules of the road are created by US Sailing. Protest hearings etc. are all described by US Sailing. So PHRF racing greatly benefits by the tools provided by US Sailing. The yacht club that runs the race is a member and probably the PHRF fleet but not necessarily the PHRF members.
Meanwhile the measurement rule certificate is now less than 500 members and PHRF is still growing.
Like everyone else these days, US Sailing also needs some revenue.
US Sailing is now on a program to solicit PHRF fleets to turn over their rating process to US Sailing. US Sailing will issue the certificates. This would nationalize the ratings. So a PHRFer in New England would rate the same as Chicago or San Diego. This would take out the local political influence on the system. No longer could you say this guy always wins because he is on the rating committee.
US Sailing claims to have huge computer programs that can quickly run a velocity prediction scale on any boat. They say, this would be a more accurate handicap and less political. This might also stop some of the name calling at members of the rating committee.
One can see some real advantages to US Sailing taking over. Here are my concerns.
First everyone would have to join US Sailing to get a certificate. The cost of the certificate would start at $50.00. That means the certificate and membership would be over $100.00. That’s a lot more than the $20.00 now. PHRF has been at 20 dollars for 30 years. What will keep US Sailing from jacking up the price once they have a monopoly.
If US Sailing uses their velocity prediction program, that’s kind of like a measurement rule?
Part of the huge success of PHRF is that it is not a measurement rule. It is difficult to design and build a boat to be a PHRF rule beater because it is rated on is real observed performance.
US Sailing should continue using local PHRF Handicappers, who would report back to them the race results and give insight to what boats are doing what.
The appeal process would continue so that a PHRF member can appeal his handicap or that of another boat he competes against. The hope that your handicap, or that of your competitor changing for the better creates huge hope. Hope is good.
PHRF continues to be a huge success story. A huge success story when participation in most sailing events is hurting. US Sailing involvement could be a good thing or could be a disaster?
Please mail comments to me at Bump@newwaveyachts.com
Bump Wilcox
Bump's World - April 2013
April 22, 2013
PHRF & US SAILING
In the mid 1970s, offshore racing consisted of IOR, MORC, and a few local rules like the New England rule. IOR and MORC favored newer boats and NE rule older boats. Most boats were not competitive with boats built to those rules.In California a new rule began. This rule was not based on the measurements of a boat be rather on observed performance. Fill out a form with some basic questions about your boat, pay a small fee and get a handicap. The local handicapper would observe the results and make changes in the handicap so that the better sailed boats won most of the races. This was the beginning of PHRF.
At that time there were about 2500 boats measured and handicapped under the other rules. Within a few years tens of thousands of boats in North America were racing with local PHRF handicaps. PHRF fleets were locally organized and gave their own handicaps. They adjusted those handicaps as they felt necessary. They gave credits and penalties if the original boat was modified. The cost was low, averaging about 20 dollars per certificate. There are measurement fees and quick turn around time. Sometimes boats were given certificates the same day as the race.
There was no national organization, only individual fleets. US sailing did not know what to do, so for the most part they ignored PHRF. PHRF did not required their members to join US Sailing. All measurement rules require that you join US Sailing.
I went to a US Sailing meeting in the late 1980s, representing PHRFNE with 1200 members. There were 3 days of meetings. There was 1 meeting that lasted for 1 hour on PHRF. At that time there were about 1000 measurement certificates and 50,000 PHRF.
In the 1990s US Sailing did get the individual fleets to join as a fleet members. They also began to collect and publish PHRF rating among their now member fleets. They still sell this book for $25.00. They also collected boat measurements for standard boats and published this.
US Sailing does not like PHRF because PHRF uses all the resources that US Sailing provides to run a race and the individuals do not pay any thing for that. In most races, the race committees have been trained by US Sailing and also the judges. The rules of how to run a race and the rules of the road are created by US Sailing. Protest hearings etc. are all described by US Sailing. So PHRF racing greatly benefits by the tools provided by US Sailing. The yacht club that runs the race is a member and probably the PHRF fleet but not necessarily the PHRF members.
Meanwhile the measurement rule certificate is now less than 500 members and PHRF is still growing.
Like everyone else these days, US Sailing also needs some revenue.
US Sailing is now on a program to solicit PHRF fleets to turn over their rating process to US Sailing. US Sailing will issue the certificates. This would nationalize the ratings. So a PHRFer in New England would rate the same as Chicago or San Diego. This would take out the local political influence on the system. No longer could you say this guy always wins because he is on the rating committee.
US Sailing claims to have huge computer programs that can quickly run a velocity prediction scale on any boat. They say, this would be a more accurate handicap and less political. This might also stop some of the name calling at members of the rating committee.
One can see some real advantages to US Sailing taking over. Here are my concerns.
First everyone would have to join US Sailing to get a certificate. The cost of the certificate would start at $50.00. That means the certificate and membership would be over $100.00. That’s a lot more than the $20.00 now. PHRF has been at 20 dollars for 30 years. What will keep US Sailing from jacking up the price once they have a monopoly.
If US Sailing uses their velocity prediction program, that’s kind of like a measurement rule?
Part of the huge success of PHRF is that it is not a measurement rule. It is difficult to design and build a boat to be a PHRF rule beater because it is rated on is real observed performance.
US Sailing should continue using local PHRF Handicappers, who would report back to them the race results and give insight to what boats are doing what.
The appeal process would continue so that a PHRF member can appeal his handicap or that of another boat he competes against. The hope that your handicap, or that of your competitor changing for the better creates huge hope. Hope is good.
PHRF continues to be a huge success story. A huge success story when participation in most sailing events is hurting. US Sailing involvement could be a good thing or could be a disaster?
Please mail comments to me at Bump@newwaveyachts.com
Bump Wilcox