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Irony
Is it just me, or has 1 February replaced 1 April as the international day of the joke? Here we have 2 threads. One congratulates the placegetters at the National Trailable Yacht Championships, not a bulb keel among them. Two divisions, both won by RL24s over 30 years old, both fathers with 2 teenage kids and a mate, sure both exceptional yachtsmen as you would hope a National Champion to be. Yet on the same day we have a thread seeking to go to extreme lengths to fix a problem that quite simply, on the evidence, doesn't exist. Cripes, people, it's Summer! Go sailing or get outside and modify your boat. If you want to go fast then strip it and make it fast. If you don't much care about that, but want to make things more comfortable, then do as I'm doing and put in some carpet and cushions. Most of all if you are dissatisfied with the rules then join the Association, write up a motion, submit it 30 days prior to the AGM, front up, argue your point, and who knows? You might just get the changes you want.
James Shannon7-Feb-2008    Edit    Delete 
Ironic
James

Well if it is not my old mate Jimmy the One welcome back and where have you been? I did hear a rumour that you had recently been on a trip overseas to attend a Luddite convention, is this true?

I think it is quite ironic that when you wrote the above, you did not feel obliged to inform everyone that you are the RL 24 owners representative at Yachting Victoria. You could have mentioned maybe that the TY Committee at YV are responsible for the original development and the continual operation of the main CBH system in Australia?

For the record I strongly believe that all models of RL24s should stay as a restricted class as laid down in the 1989 rules. I am in favour of any kind of keel being fitted and any modification made to the boat as long as they comply totally with all the 1989 class rules. I am a modifier myself and,I take my hat off to both Simon and Darryn as they both win the prize for all the legal changes they have made to their boats.

Times are a changing James and we have to develop systems that encourage all types of RL24's back to the race course by offering a fairer form of racing. I also notice a move by many TY racers to other forms of handicap racing like PH and AMS. Look at the Skandia Week results. Developments in VPP sailboat handicapping software have been available for some time in Australia, all of which have revolutionised and improved sailboat handicapping. Some overseas rating associations have been using good VPP systems to find the poor areas and improve their rating formulae!

I am disappointed with your reaction James, because I do believe Andrew Dovell is the top hydrodynamicist in Australia at the moment by far and for what I consider to be a very reasonable amount he will run all the different RL 24 types through his computers using his own in-house developed software package. His report would hand out all the rating variations which you could test at your next titles. You never know, your theory that nothing is wrong with the way the CBH is being run could be proved correct and I could be wrong! Google the name Andrew Dovell and read some of his technical papers and then let me know how many $50 shares you want to pledge!!!

No matter which way you look at it,the CBH system as we know it, is now dying. The system is for some reason not working like it did in the early 80s. I believe that without a major change in direction and some sort of upgrade it will not survive when put up against a good performance prediction programme. I remember when I had a go at programming what I thought would be a unique, fair, personal sailboat handicap system only to be shocked when I searched the internet and found much better and more efficient software available for free!

James, please note that I treat this web site as my Rl24 association now as your organisation disenfranchised my old, modified and much loved Rl 24 by making what I refer to as some real iffy changes to your version of the class rules.

Alistair10-Feb-2008    Edit    Delete 

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