Fleet Handicap System

Fleet Handicap System

One of the problems with small fleet racing is that invariably the fleet consists of a wide range of ability, from the beginner to a potential national or even World Champion. Similarly, age and physical differences can affect performance. There can be nothing more demoralising to a novice racer than to find themselves a long way adrift of the main racing group. Quite often the temptation to give up is greater than the effort needed to battle on in loneliness.

The fleet handicap system rewards effort and even small improvements for all competitors and gives an incentive to try hard even if you are at the back of the fleet. It can be used either alongside a standard fleet racing programme or in substitution of the same.

ESTABLISHING THE HANDICAP

There are many ways of establish a competitor’s handicap. The important point to remember is that however the handicaps are established, they can be easily adjusted after one or more races. The foundation of any handicap system is a table of ability. We show below two ways of establishing a person’s ability, which can be varied or amended to suit local fleets. In both examples, a fleet of 15 sailors is used.

Method 1 - By group or individual decision

The names of all the fleet members are sorted by a fleet meeting into a table of ability. In doing this, two or more members can be given the same ability ranking. It is important that one person (probably the fleet captain) has a deciding vote in the case of a dispute!

The handicaps are then set as shown with each person receiving a handicap equal to the number of persons higher than themselves in the table of ability. A maximum handicap is set by assessing the average number of starters in each race (in this case 7). All persons with a potential handicap (shown in brackets) greater than the average number of starters are given the maximum handicap.

Method 2 - Using an average of races (in this example 5)

The last 5 races of a person are averaged excluding “did not start”, “did not finish” and disqualifications (shown in bold, italic text in the table below). The difference between the average of the first boat and each other boat is then calculated. The handicap is then established by rounding the difference to the nearest whole figure. The maximum handicap is established in the same way as in Method 1.

SCORING WITH THE HANDICAP

(Method 2 handicaps are used in this example)

1. To determine the handicap score, the handicap is subtracted from the actual finishing position. The handicap position in the race is then based on the scores with the lowest score coming first etc.
2. Ties are broken in favour of the person who achieved the best position in the actual race.
3. Persons with the maximum handicap (in this example 7) receive a bonus handicap when there are more than the calculated average number of starters. The bonus handicap is calculated by adding 1 handicap point for every 2 starters more than the average number of starters. Since 11 yachts competed, maximum handicap yachts gain an additional point for each 2 yachts starting beyond the maximum handicap of “7”.