Tubby "Cheater Boat" beats Performance Boats

[EditorC22NSA]

After

 

[Jackdaw]

View attachment 142091
After years of criticism and insults by a few performance boats skippers who have said you can't race a Catalina 22, a little payback is always welcomed, and worth sharing with other C22 owners. In our club's pursuit regatta last weekend, my little Catalina 22 Sport (#15582) finished in front of many go-fast boats (J22, J24, Flying Scot, Hobie 16, Prindle 19). During the first day (four races completed) of racing using the standard 270 PHRF rating (genoa and main only), my awesome crew and I had a solid 2nd place out of 15 boats. The first place boat at end of day on Saturday was a Hobie 20 Miracle. Unfortunately, 30 to 35+ mph wind on Sunday was enough to deter me from competing, so my final standing slipped from 2nd to 6th place for the regatta series. But for one day, it sure was a momentary "high" to enjoy and to finish repeatedly in front of the performance boats. Notice the performance of the Seaward 26RK? That's another "tubby" cruising boat that kicked butt throughout the weekend. Of course, at the end of the regatta, one J24 crew member passed me on the dock and said "cheater boat, cheater boat, cheater boat".

Most experts feel that the C22 sails 'very well' to its 270 rating or better it, meaning that the boats rating might be a bit of a gift. This often happens when the majority of the boats nationwide are raced sub-optimally, that will push a boats rating number up. Nice deal if you can get it! ;^) Unlike the J22 and J24 who's ratings are pretty much dialed into what the boat can do.

Also helping you is the random leg nature of the races you ran, PHRF numbers are based of windward and leeward performance, and reaching legs typically help non-race oriented boats.

Anyway you slice it a great day for you!

We have a C22 that sails in our PHRF II (non-spin) fleet... its does pretty OK, often finishing last on the water but correctly over some faster boats. The nature of PHRF racing!

Couple of question:
Did your club race cats, spin and non-spin boats together? Wild!

Did they really run day#2 in 30-25 knots of wind? I've never know a club that would race in the much wind. The results show that 3 cats did well on day 2, seems impossible in that much breeze!

 

[Jackdaw]

Jackdaw-

Thanks.

Yes...the 270 may be a gift, but I also spent last several years fine "tuning" my boat for optimal performance, and the boat has excellent bottom, excellent sails, and experience skipper (20 years C22 racing) and very good crew. So, more to it than a gifted number...preparation and experience allows me to beat the 270 rating.

The J24s run with a higher rating - 174 instead of ODR of 171.

Our last club regatta of the season is scored as one big fleet - spinnaker, non-spinnaker, mono hull, multi-hull boats. It is a pursuit style race with a variety of courses. So, usually difficult for any one boat to dominate all races. Race #2 was a windward-leeward.

Yes, day #2 was 30+ mph wind...the multi-hulls were loaded up with crew, creating rooster-tails at times. I was also surprised that RC ran races in that much wind.

Great deal, boat prep is the key to doing well! If you've got a fast bottom and good sails; add that to good crew and you're golden.

 

[LakeShark]

Congratulations! Nice finish and your successes give us newbies something to aim for. Now we just need pictures or a mainbrace article!

 

[walt]

member passed me on the dock and said "cheater boat, cheater boat, cheater boat"

Curious what your outstanding buddy meant by "cheater boat"? Sounds like everyone was just following pre agreed on rules?

 

[Daveinet]

I've felt that the concept of a handicap system has ruined the sailing industry as a whole. You end up with boats built to win against a rule, rather than boats of good design. There is little motivation for technological innovation, because any advancement just gets neutralized. And one wonders why boat design hasn't changed much in the last 50 years.

 

[Gene Neill]

I don't know diddley about racing. I crewed in one, once.

But I definitely do feel like Daydream has always more than held her own against other randomly encountered boats, given her size and weight. She's "beaten" boats she shouldn't have. My wife insists they "didn't know we were racing", but of course that's nonsense.

 

[Jackdaw]

I've felt that the concept of a handicap system has ruined the sailing industry as a whole. You end up with boats built to win against a rule, rather than boats of good design. There is little motivation for technological innovation, because any advancement just gets neutralized. And one wonders why boat design hasn't changed much in the last 50 years.

This was probably true for the end of the IOR days (say 88-94) but not since. This old rule was easily exploited. Modern rules (ORR, ORC) are much less exploitable by type-forming.

 

[Hayden Watson]

I don't know diddley about racing. I crewed in one, once.

But I definitely do feel like Daydream has always more than held her own against other randomly encountered boats, given her size and weight. She's "beaten" boats she shouldn't have. My wife insists they "didn't know we were racing", but of course that's nonsense.

I thought that everyone knew the definition of a sailboat race, 2 boats on the same body of water heading in approximately the same direction.

 

[kappykaplan]

2 boats on the same body of water heading in approximately the same direction.

Absolutely! Two boats, it's a race!!!

 

[greg_m]

Absolutely! Two boats, it's a race!!!

two boats on their dolleys at the slipway ready to launch... it's already a race!