[Rhodes22-list] racing rhodes

[Bill Effros]

Wally,

I do understand PHRF.

Around here, most courses are triangular in light to moderate winds.  
The Rhodes-22 was built on Long Island Sound, for Long Island Sound 
conditions, and it would be a real contender, as built, if more people 
chose to race it around here.

People who don't know how to use a 175, keep saying that a smaller sail 
will make a Rhodes-22 go faster.  That is only true if you over-penalize 
the larger sail for handicapping purposes.  In absolute terms, my boat, 
or Rummy's will beat most other R-22s--and we prove that out on the 
water all the time by flying the 175 full out most of the time.  Rummy 
let's his boat heel.  I sail mine flat.  Sailing a 175 full out, flat, 
in moderate to strong winds will allow it to plane.

I was planning to work on pointing this summer, but I have not even had 
the time to launch my boat yet, so I suspect this project will have to 
wait until next year.

Stan asked about building a Rhodes to meet racing rules.  I think that 
is always a bad way to build a boat because they keep changing the 
rules.  I think Stan should teach people how to use what they've got.  
What they've got is a very fast, good pointing, well built, shoal draft, 
cruising boat that can win a lot of races in the hands of skilled sailors.

A J-22 weighs 1/2 as much as an R-22, carries less sail than a 175, and 
has a 700 lb. keel twice as deep as ours.  It can sail circles around 
us--if you let them set the course.  But if you set the course in 24 
inch deep waters, the Rhodes wins every time.

PHRF is designed to handicap boats such that any boat can win on any 
given day, and it is the skill of the sailor that determines the 
outcome.  If the handicap is wrong, change the handicap, don't change 
the boat.

Bill Effros



TN Rhodey wrote:
>
>> R-22s with 175 gennys are faster than R-22s with 150 gennys,  it's 
>> just that PHRF fleets penalize the 175s to discourage people from 
>> racing with them.
>>
>
> Bill,
>
> I really don't think you nderstand PHRF. Ratings adjustments are not 
> to discourage people from using different sails. It is understood that 
> certain sales under certain conditions are faster. For example if you 
> declare before the race you are going to fly spinnaker, you take a 
> PHRF hit.  Not to discourage people but because it is generally agreed 
> that a boat flying spinnaker is faster down wind. Do you know if you 
> declare spinnaker before race and decide not to fly you still take a 
> hit? Sometimes in real heavy winds everyone in our fleet would chicken 
> out and no one would declare spinnaker. All agreed the boats would get 
> to the downwind mark faster but under those conditions too much can go 
> wrong.
>
> The reason most racers do not use a 175 is because racers know in most 
> racing conditions the 175 is not the fastest sail. You take the hit 
> furled or not. If it is too windy and you race furled to 155 you take 
> the hit. If racers thought 175 was faster rest assured they would use 
> a 175. Most club racing is upwind and then downwind. Not ideal for 175 
> especially in heavy winds. On a triangle course in light to moderate 
> winds the 175 would likely be well worth the PHRF hit.
>
> In racing the best sail plan is the one that allows you to reach your 
> marks the quickest. This is different than who is sailing the fastest. 
> If you raced more you would realize that very little racing is done on 
> a reach. Reaching is the strenth of any large genny. PHRF adjustments 
> are supposed to keep things fair. The goal is not to discourage people 
> from flying different sail plans. Why do you keep saying this?
>
> Wally
>
>
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