F7 in the brain - Heres my brainstorm

[arc]

I like the tuition courses thought, and would be the first to learn from them given a chance. If you get more support I hope that they can be created. Perhaps a new forum on VSK tips and techniques, set up with sub groups to provide a bit of structure?

Creating a tournament where one calculates final positions based on handicap is very easy to implement. Finish times can be input onto a web page spreadsheet to show actual finishing position, time, and even handicap adjustment, as takes place in many yacht clubs. (I'm not good with web pages yet, but no problem with spreadsheet.)

I agree that the catch up tournament version is more difficult to implement, as it would mean having to:
- pre-calculate starting times based on handicap & course length
- inform skippers of order of start and start time after gun ie 1st boat on gun 2nd at 10sec etc
- race
- last boat to start could act as umpire, perhaps issuing start signals to others.
PRO's:
- Nice point is that you may end with a tighter finish pending everything else going right, although in practise I cannot see everyone finishing within 10 sec of each other.
- Less congestion at first mark, particularly big fleets.
- Novice has better opportunity to see better skippers rather than just loosing them at start.
CON's:
- Advanced skippers may begrudge having to overtake novices, particularly those that breach, stall, do a pen, or select incorrect sail whilst bearing down on a novice.

I would expect that if a catchup tournament were created it would be more a novelty and held on an infrequent basis due to complexity etc.

[admiral 1]

Handicaped racing such that a skipper exceeding his rating most is the winner shouldn't be a problem. Can also be implemented after racind is done. All you need to do is gat everybody rated, followed up by some tourney in wich the skipper/boot improving his/here rating most over x nr of races is the winner.

[mcdeadcat]

Ranking or experience indicators has to be the way to go - I fully support those that explained this concept fully!:)