Yachts & Yachting — March 2018

MARC TURNER

toaboat,theonlywaytobecertainisto

apply for a trial certificate. These cost less

thanafullcertificateanduptofourare

allowedeachyear,soownerscanseethe

effectofmakinganumberofchangesto

their boat before investing in the work.

SKILL VS RATING

Many people overestimate the effect that

rating has on results and underestimate

the difference in the level of skill and

boat prep between different boats. An

interesting comparison is to look at the

difference between top-level teams in

one-design racing to identify the spread

of results in identical boats.

The Figaro 2 class is the obvious one

to look at as the top end of the fleet is

sailed by extremely talented and

experienced people and the boats are all

professionally prepared to a seriously

high standard.

In the 2015 Solitaire du Figaro the top

five boats were separated by two hours,

nine minutes after nearly 12 days of

racing, which equates to a 0.75 per cent

time difference. Given the Figaro 2’s TCC

of 1.080 that’s equivalent to a rating

difference of around eight points. If the

top 10 boats in the fleet are considered,

then the skill difference is even more

stark – it equates to 2.5 per cent of time,

which is the equivalent of a 27 point

rating difference.

In other words, if you’re not already

closetotheverytopofthegame,then

worrying too much about optimising

your boat’s rating is counter-productive.

You’ll make bigger gains through sailing

better and top level boat prep. That

inevitably means carving out more time

for debriefing, team building, training

IRC RULE: DID

YOU KNOW?

There are plenty of

misconceptions about the

background to IRC, particularly

among those relatively new

to it. Although it’s seen by

some club racers as being

a sophisticated and high-

end rating system, that’s

not where its roots lie.

IRC was conceived as the

Channel Handicap System

in the dying years of the old

International Offshore Rule

(IOR) to provide a simpler

and easier alternative for

those without grand prix race

boats. Key elements of the

rule are a simplified set of

measurements that enables

owners to measure their own

boats, and its secret nature that

makes it harder for designers

to outwit the rule. As such

it proved hugely successful,

gaining recognition from World

Sailing in the early 1990s.

The replacement rule for

IOR for grand prix big boat

racing was meant to be IMS

(International Measurement

System) a much more

sophisticated open (i.e. not

secret) rule relying on velocity

prediction software to predict

the performance of each

boat in different conditions.

However, earlier versions of the

software failed to keep up with

the rapid pace of yacht design

in the 1990s and, despite

promising beginnings, it never

got off the ground. This led to

even grand prix boats racing

under IRC. More recently the

IMS concept has been revived,

using more sophisticated

algorithms, as the basis for

the ORC rating rules that are

gradually gaining acceptance,

especially in northern Europe

and in the Mediterranean.

and coaching. Even if as owner you don’t

have time to be on board, sending your

crew out with a coach can, more often

than not, reap significant rewards.

Once your skills are near the top of

the game, it’s time to invest in sails, so

consult with a knowledgeable sailmaker

• and possibly also a designer – about
  any small tweaks that will boost
  performance relative to rating.

You’ll make bigger gains through

sailng better and top level boat prep

Above

Spinnaker area

is still relatively

inexpensive in

rating terms

OPTIMISING FOR IRC KEELBOATS

36 Yachts & Yachting March 2018 yachtsandyachting.co.uk