RE: Americap

John I don't dislike Americap. Quite the opposite is true. I do have reservations on how well they can handicap and the fact that every year they change handicaps is evidence that the rule is being developed not finished. Weighing all the pros and cons I still like the system. The problem I have is splitting the lightly raced classes into a phrf and Americap class when filling one class is tough enough. You end up with large class splits and the larger the class split the worse the racing. Our boats seem to do well in either system. The problem with the CYC's Wednesday night splits is now over, I will race whichever system the class wants to.

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-santana3030@sailpix.com [mailto:owner-santana3030@sailpix.com]On Behalf Of John Heaney
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2001 5:30 PM
To: Santana 30/30 Class
Subject: Americap

        I had a long conversation last night with the Southern California rep for Americap, Dick Hampikian, and promised to get back to him with some information from the Santana 3030 class. . How many of you have applied for and received Americap Rating Certificates? Have any of you applied for such a certificate but still not received it? Please let me hear from you.

        During the conversation, I also asked him about some previously expressed interest in getting updated "Velocity Prediction Program" packages for our boats to give us better numbers on target boat speeds, etc. I explained that when some of us asked about these packages about a year ago is when the confusion surfaced about what particular type of Santana 3030 had been measured and would therefore be the basis for the predictions. Was it a GP or a PC? What size and weight of motor? What type of keel and rudder? Dick responded that because all Santana 3030s have exactly the same hull shape and rig, and because measuring the hull shape is by far the most time consuming and costly part of an Americap measurement, what type of boat was the first measured is of little consequence. Variations between boats based on things like GP vs PC and engine size result, for the most part, in only one basic difference..... weight. Weight differences can be measured and accounted for under the Americap system by some simple displacement measurements which can be accomplished locally, in the water, for little or no cost.

        Dick accordingly suggested that we see if we can get all boats interested in buying a VPP package together in one or two spots (like maybe three or four boats here in MDR and the rest in Long Beach), have them all measured at the same time for displacement differences, and then get individual, custom VPP packages for each boat. The cost savings from such a group buying effort would, I should think, cut the individual price (which, as I recall, was something like $375) by over half. Depending on the number of boats, perhaps we could get the price down to something in the neighborhood of $100 or so. (By the way, I've used target boat speed numbers in the past and can think of no other piece of equipment which, dollar for dollar, did more to enhance my downwind performance.) As I recall, Mike Guccione, Al Navarro and several others expressed interest in buying one of the packages a year ago. I still want one. Anyone else?

        One final note. I know that some of you (Mike Guccione in particular) have some serious concerns about Americap and the accurracy of its ratings. Like any other handicapping system, Americap is far from perfect. But it's a step in the right direction, is supposedly getting more reliable each year, and has some nice features (e.g., a "time on time" component to take into account variances between unlike boats in different wind conditions). More importantly, Americap seems to be growing in acceptance at the same time that PHRF fleets are shrinking. I'm told that a number of major regattas on the East Coast have already eliminated PHRF completely in favor of Americap classes. Unless and until we have enough Santana 3030s at every event to ensure our own start, handicap racing will remain a large part of our lives. I therefore fear that we're someday going to have to accept Americap as our rating system whether we like it or not.

        Just my two cents.

                        John Heaney
                        SPIRIT