Outrunning the handicap system?

Rating rules attempt to fairly handicap all boat types, but some are more fair than others. As boat types become increasingly dissimilar, French boat builder J/Composites has been exploring ideas in the rating space with the aim of helping to ensure maximum equity and fun:

“Racing yacht design is advancing rapidly but the growing gap between mainstream production boats and more extreme specialist designs is putting pressure on handicap systems, event formats and participation,” says Frédéric Bouvier of J/Composites.

From low freeboard and shallow, beamy cockpits to sailplans with square-topped mainsails and giant asymmetric kites, each capable of creating a partial eclipse, through to specialist double-handed racing yachts that are designed to promote shorthanded crews, these are exciting times for the racing scene.

The recent success of some scow hull configurations have been among the latest developments to challenge what we consider as normal, yet despite their unconventional looks, their growing popularity in some areas suggests that the sport is on the verge of yet another new trend.

But at what price? – Full report