PHRF Query

[grantmc 59]

Hi,

Please don't laugh and mock me. But I don't know anything about PHRF and I would appreciate finding out about it.

 

I race my keeler round the cans most weekends. But my boat has never had a PHRF handicap and I had never heard it mentioned at the sailing club I belong to till today. Could this be the cause of my life having so little meaning? Why would my boat need a certificate? What's the point?

 

And I wonder do any yacht clubs use the system?

and if so, then how do they manage this when most boats don't seem to have one.

 

Is it better than say the Race Track system?

 

And why does it cost $75 per annum to get a certificate? Not to mention the other charges made by YNZ. And it seems YNZ is way behind with the PHRF sytem on their web site so how do Clubs cope with that issue?

 

Many thanks in advance of your advice.

[w44vi 17]

all you ever wanted to know about phrf

http://www.yachtingnz.org.nz/racing/han ... tings/phrf

[grantmc 59]

Thanks for page reference on the YNZ web site. I had read that before I posted my query. But it doesn't answer any of my questions.

 

The information doesn't actually say why I would want to pay $50 each year for a PHRF certificate. In fact the web page starts with "We apologise to boat owners and racers that PHRF information including measurements and race history for individual boats has been unavailable on our website for an extended period. We know it is important to you and we’re working to rectify the situation." and it has been like that quite a while.

 

There is nothing about the why, where or when PHRF is used. It says 'important to me' well why is it important to me.

[markm 30]

GrantMc,

 

For local club racing PHRF is typically very secondary and certainly no necessity for participation.

 

Some event organisers do elect to use PHRF instead of involving themselves in handicapping and the attendent issues that come with it. Typically where it is a necessity is for events that cross usual club boundaries, Aucklands Coastal Classic, Gold Cup and Simrad series being some examples.

 

That said, there are maybe half a dozen clubs which score the majority of their racing under both general (club) handicap, PHRF and IRC. Typically general handicap is the primary handicap and the one the prizes are based on but all handicap categories can attract a degree of interest.

 

At the broadest level, RaceTrack and PHRF are similar in that previous performance is a significant determining factor behind the published numbers but do have major differences when it comes to the detail. For example, the algorithms used to calculate the numbers differ and unlike RaceTrack, PHRF does limit the handicap based on design, eg, no 1020 has a PHRF of less than 0.730 regardless of actual performance, no Y11 has a handicap lower than any 1020 etc.

 

If I have your club and boat placed correctly, much as I'd like to say PHRF will rescue you from an eternally meaningless life for a small charge of $75 pa, I fear the reality may be somewhat different.

 

Only RPNYC really has an active PHRF fleet in Wellington, a few LBYC boats have certs but they're typically racing with Port Nic as well as Lowry Bay or those doing the Line 7.

[grantmc 59]

If I have your club and boat placed correctly, much as I'd like to say PHRF will rescue you from an eternally meaningless life for a small charge of $75 pa, I fear the reality may be somewhat different. Only RPNYC really has an active PHRF fleet in Wellington, a few LBYC boats have certs but they're typically racing with Port Nic as well as Lowry Bay or those doing the Line 7.

Cheers for that Mark, and yep you've picked well.