When dissimilar boats meet

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
When I finished second to Steve Grillon in the 1994 Melges 24 US Nationals, I was pissed. Still am. Grillon was a big deal in Southern California and beyond, and had the sort of personality that makes the sport fun… and fun to beat.

A recent Scuttlebutt report highlighted how in handicap racing, each boat is rated based on completing the same course distance, but design variables for each boat assure that’s not possible. Never short for words, Grillon shares his view on the issue:

I do not see the point of this argument about individual course length. Are you trying to add a new unknown variable to the complexity of handicap racing? The fundamental issue with handicap racing is the inability of an arbitrary system like PHRF to rate dissimilar, one-dimensional boats.

Whiners with freak boats want credit for their lack of sailing skills and inability to get off the start-line. Those same people refuse to race one design or measured handicap classes, claiming it is hard to understand or too competitive to have fun. – Full report