SAILING NEWS
News 15
Going
the
extra
yard
(stick)
NOT MUCH FUN: Evil conditions at the Bloody Mary
BRAVING sub-zero conditions foiling Moth of Graham Vials was top 20 finishers. This indicates to one off boat called a ‘Punk’.
and freezing fog, the RYA’s Bas disqualified because there was not me that the Portsmouth Yardstick Event Director Andrew Craig said:
Edmonds headed to the Queen enough data available to give his System is working.” “We were very grateful to Bas and
Mary sailing club near Sunbury to boat an accurate handicap. Ed- This year, the 177 strong fleet was the RYA for coming along and the
help ensure that one of the big- monds was eager that there was no split into three classes: Class ‘A’ data that Bas provided on some
gest pursuit races in the world ran repeat. He explained: “Everyone for those boats with an RYA Ports- of the more obscure classes was
smoothly. wants a fair race, and the aim of mouth Yardstick Handicap, class invaluable when it came to allocat-
The annual Bloody Mary pur- the Portsmouth Yardstick System is ‘B’ for those boats allocated with ing handicaps.
suit race took place on Saturday, to provide this. a temporary Queen Mary handicap “It is also telling that the ‘Punk’,
January 10. It’s an inter class race “Obviously no system is perfect, on the day, and class ‘C’ for the for which there was no data at all,
run using the RYA’s Portsmouth but I felt that if I was present prior foiling Moths. prevailed in class ‘B’. In fairness
Yardstick handicap system and to the race provide advice on al- Braving Arctic conditions de- Daniel Holman sailed great race,
Edmonds, the RYA’s Technical locating temporary handicaps, or scribed by one competitor as ‘evil’ but it also illustrates that you need
Racing Co-ordinator, was present Portsmouth Numbers, then that the Bloody Mary trophy was as much data as possible to provide
to provide advice and support. could only be a good thing. eventually won by James Couch in an accurate handicap. I guess that
Last year the race became mired “I think it is telling that there were a Phantom, while the class ‘B’ was is the challenge that the RYA face
in controversy after the victorious 10 different types of boat in the picked up by Daniel Holman in a with the Portsmouth Yardstick.”
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