Acura Key West 2007, presented by Nautica -  Entries as of December 22, 2006

January 3

Based on further review, feedback and additional entries, the following changes have been made to class splits: 

1) The Mariah 27 Jazzy Jr. from PHRF 5 to PHRF 6 in Division 4.

2) J/24 Glory added to PHRF 6 in Division 4 

CLASS BREAKS – PHRF & IRC                                                                                    Posted December 23, 2006

Comments and Insight from the Race Chairman...

I am pleased to be able to post the class breaks for Acura Key West 2007 a full 3 weeks before the racing begins. This year, handicap entries are up approximately 10% over 2006 (62 PHRF & 27 IRC entries). PHRF entrants will be competing for the first ever PHRF National Championship with 3 beautiful Chelsea Clocks to be awarded to the top performers. The championship scoring criteria is posted at KW07_PHRF_championship.htm

Before getting into the class breaks, this is an appropriate time for me to thank the PHRF Consortium Chairman and his team for the efforts spent in researching, evaluating and debating to establish Key West specific handicaps for our PHRF fleet. The work is not yet finished as some information submitted by boat owners is incomplete and a few boats still under review.

Participants should be aware that in some cases, preliminary PHRF handicaps that have been posted will be adjusted based on which class the boat will be racing in (in accordance with the event specific PHRF Rules & Regulations).

Once again this year, I ask that participating IRC and PHRF boat owners assess the class breaks in the context of the facts and considerations that I will share with you in this letter. As always, I welcome your feedback and comments, but will ask that you first take the time to read my letter before contacting me with feedback or questions. My second request is that only the boat owner or his/her designated representative contact us and to do so via email. It is the most efficient way for us to manage the process going forward and provide you with a meaningful response in the limited time we have before racing begins on January 15th.

BACKGROUND
The event-specific PHRF Rules & Regulations and the Notice & Conditions of Race both speak to our philosophy on PHRF class breaks. The same basic philosophy applies to IRC. We fully recognize that getting class breaks right is as important to 'good handicap racing' as proper handicaps. There are a multitude of factors that need to be taken into account when assigning the class breaks including rating bands, LOA, Sail Area/Displacement Ratios (up wind and down wind), etc. There are of course, some limiting factors from an event and race management standpoint. These include, but aren’t limited to, practical class size and a maximum number of starts per division in order to achieve 2 or 3 fair races on any given day. 

Premiere Racing publishes preliminary class breaks only after considerable dialogue with the PHRF Consortium, Appeals Committee, naval architects and some experienced boat owners (those without a conflict of interest). We all are in agreement on one fact - that there are a number of different ways one can divide these handicap entries into classes. Before posting the preliminary breaks, a number of us have spent a significant amount of time and effort analyzing potential scenarios. In my capacity as Race Chairman, I am the one responsible for making the final decision on class breaks. 

One of our primary goals, based on feedback from participating owners over the years, is to provide 'like racing' - that is to ensure that boats which perform in a similar fashion in a variety of different conditions are racing together. There are a number of factors we take into consideration in our efforts to ensure like racing - even if that means expanding rating bands beyond what one might normally desire. A boat's Sail Area/ Displacement Ratio (both the upwind & downwind numbers) and Displacement/Length Ratio are two key factors that come into play. We have posted approximate ratios with the PHRF boats so you can see those important numbers right alongside the assigned handicap. 

Determining class breaks solely on handicap would be a simple task, look tidy on the scratch sheet, and generally result in notably small rating bands. But this clearly wouldn't provide 'like racing' and the quality competition that handicap boat owners are seeking in Key West. A C&C 40 and Olson 30 racing together - with nearly identical handicaps - is not the kind of racing that the majority of our owners are looking for. 

2007 CONSIDERATIONS / ISSUES

On any given year there are unique considerations and limitations concerning class breaks and this year is no exception:

·       There will be 89 boats racing under handicap rules in Key West next January – up from 80 last year. The IRC fleet has gone from 17 to 27 boats while the PHRF fleet is at 62 boats - very close to last year’s 63 boat tally.

·       The composition of the 2007 PHRF fleet is significantly different with fewer “big boats” while the IRC fleet features a gain in bigger boats in the 50-60 foot range.

·       There will be a total of 17 classes spread over 4 divisions next month (19 classes last year):

-          Div 1 (49 boats):   Farr 40 / Melges 32 / Mumm 30

-          Div 2 (47 boats):   IRC 1 / IRC 2 / IRC 3 / PHRF 1 & 2

-          Div 3 (99 boats):   Melges 24 / J/105 / J/80

-          Div 4 (65 boats):   Corsair 28R / J/109 / PHRF 3 - 6

·       These preliminary breaks feature 9 handicap classes (6 PHRF and 3 IRC) ranging in size from 8 to 13 boats.  

·       IRC Racing returns to Key West for only its second year with 27 boats racing in three separate classes – all on Division 2. These 27 boats broke quite nicely into 3 competitive classes as you will see below.

·       The mix of PHRF boats led to logical class breaks in most instances. Some of the classes are somewhat smaller than an event organizer would normally like to see. But the smaller class size and additional trophies are a fair trade off to the goal of boats having a meaningful competition with boats that should be racing together.

·       To ensure quality racing and the ability to get 2 and even 3 races completed on any given day, we attempt to go with a maximum of 6 starts per division . We’ve achieved that on all four divisions this year with 5 starts on Division 2 and 6 starts on Division 4.

·       Some of the posted rating bands can be deceiving. It should be noted that 5 of the 6 PHRF classes have rating bands of 33 sec/mile or less. They are actually fairly tight for the majority of classes, with one boat at the top and/or bottom of a class often accounting for the wider spreads. An example of this is in PHRF 1, which has an 18 sec/mile band when excluding the scratch boat in class. The PHRF fleet rating band average of 35 sec/mile halves to 18 sec/mile when excluding one boat from the top or bottom end of each class.  

·       Sub Classes: We will be recognizing six ‘Sub Class’ groups this year - the Swan 601, TP52, J/120, Beneteau 10R, J/92S and J/24. They all have 4 or 5 boats entered with some showing potential for one design status in future years. A daily and series Sub-Class trophy will be awarded to these specific groups within their PHRF classes. 

DIVISION 2

5 Starts / 47 Boats

            IRC 1 (Class 2A):  An 8-boat class of the biggest boats in fleet, including our largest entry to date (R/P 81 BonBon), four Swan 601s, two Farr 60s and the J/V 66 Bella Mente. These 8 boats could all be considered the “displacement group” among the big IRC entries. The Swan 601s will be eligible for ‘Sub-Class’ trophies.

            IRC 2 (Class 2B):  This 8-boat class is for the most part a lighter displacement group of 50 footers (45’-52’ LOA). It’s pretty clear that most of these boats will get up on a plane much earlier than the boats in IRC 1. The rating band for this class is approximately 30 sec/mile. Four TP52s, a swing-keel Cookson 50, Ker 50, Rogers 46 and Michael Brennan’s new R/P 45 will make up the second of three IRC classes. The four TP52s will be eligible for ‘Sub Class’ trophies.

IRC 3 (Class 2C):  This 11-boat class includes a number of returnees from 2006 as well as the Club Swan NYYC 42 making its Key West debut. This is a fairly diverse group of boats including a Swan 45, pair of Farr 40s, J/133, two Ker designs, Sydney 38, J/44, Sinergia 40 and Grand Soleil 37.

PHRF 1 (Class 2D):  This 8 boat class includes a 1D48, which is significantly bigger/faster than the other boats in class. The other 7 are primarily lighter displacement boats with a 15 sec/mile rating band. A rating adjustment will be made to the scratch boat in class (as allowed for under the PHRF Rules & Regs) to account for the clear air advantage.

           PHRF 2 (Class 2E):  This 12-boat moderate displacement class of 36-40 footers may feature some of the most competitive racing in PHRF this year. A narrow 9 sec/mile rating band and similar boat types will make for close racing. Half of the class is comprised of J/120s (5) and Beneteau 40.7s (3). The 5 J/120s will be eligible for ‘Sub Class’ trophies.

DIVISION 4

6 Starts / 65 boats

            CORSAIR  28R (Class 4A):  The Corsair 28R class will again be the lead class in Division 4.

This 13-boat class will be vying for their 2007 National Championship.

J/109 (Class 4B):  The J/109s return with a 10-boat one design class this year.

            PHRF 3 (Class 4C):  This 13-boat moderate to heavy displacement class features a  rating band of 39 sec/mile. Boat types include Beneteau 10Rs (5), a pair of J/35s, a Schock 35 and C&C 40. The Beneteau 10Rs will be eligible for ‘Sub Class’ trophies.

PHRF 4 (Class 4D):  This is a lighter displacement class of 30 to 34 footers. The 11 boat class includes an SR 33, Soverel 33, Tripp 33, Olson 30 and four new J/92S designs. The J/92S will be eligible for ‘Sub Class’ trophies

PHRF 5 (Class 4E):  Most of these 9 boats are moderate displacement. The class with a rating band from 105-138, includes a pair of T-10s, J/29, J/27 and Mariah 27.

PHRF 6 (Class 4F):  Our smallest PHRF class has a reasonable 24 sec/mile rating band. The class features a pair of S2 7.9s, and four J/24s which will be eligible for ‘Sub Class’ trophies.

As always, we welcome your constructive criticism and feedback. Keep in mind that we are very reluctant to make last minute changes, hence timely feedback is essential. If you see something you don't agree with, we ask that you provide useful feedback.  Please don't just state that a boat does not belong is a certain class. It will be far more effective to present the perceived problem, why it is a problem, along with a potential solution and your justification.

We anticipate another excellent week of handicap competition at Acura Key West 2007. I look forward to seeing everyone next month.

Sincerely yours,
 

Peter Craig
Race Chairman

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