Forums, Cruising (PHRF) Racing, 2023 Thoughts Part 2: Sunday Racing and Fleet Champ Series

(this note will be in the NBC PHRF Google Group and the Club’s Forum for Cruising (PHRF) Racing)

For 2023 the Sunday Series and Fleet Champ Series are still very much a work in progress, so Cruising Fleet racers’ input is especially valued.

As I noted in Thoughts Part 1, in 2022 we had very little regular Sunday racing — only three (3) Sundays saw a Cruising Fleet start, one with 2 racers, one with 3, and one with 4. Although we didn’t organize a separate 2022 Sunday series, these races did count for the 2022 Fleet Champ series.

I think there are a few challenges for Sunday racing: 1) Wednesday racers get crew to commit to Wednesday, but the same crew are not all available for Sundays, 2) Spinnaker racers don’t want to recruit a large crew to be faced with no (or only one) competitor on Sundays), 3) the “chicken-egg” problem: if I can’t count on a race to occur, I won’t bother coming out, and 4) perhaps not having a Sunday series reduced the incentive to come out. Likely these same challenges account for the slim participation in Club regattas too.

Further, in an effort to ensure the Fleet Champ series doesn’t just recapitulate the Wednesday Series (i.e., where the Fleet Champ is just the Wednesday winner), we ask competitors to sail a minimum number of races (15 in 2022) with at least 1/3 in non-Wednesday races (Sundays, Club regattas, NBC HRYRA regattas). If fleet members are no-shows for Sundays and Club regattas, they can’t meet the minimum requirements (and this is what happened in 2022, with only two boats making the participation cut for Fleet Champ). Note, for many who didn’t make the participation cut-off, a handful of Sunday races or an additional regatta would have put them in the running — so getting more robust participation on Sundays would also improve the Fleet Champ competition. (And in 2022, it’s also true that Fleet Scoring fell down on the job of reporting competitors’ progress on the Fleet Champ series throughout the season — did a better job in 2021, egging skippers to make that next race and stay in the running).

Looking ahead to 2023, the Club has Sunday racing scheduled from May 7 through Oct 15 — twenty-four (24) Sundays. The following three (3) Sundays have no Cruising Fleet start: May 28 (Champions Regatta), July 9 (Guy Moulton Regatta)., Oct 1 (Last Chance Regatta). Of the twenty-one (21) remaining Sundays, five (5) are reserved for Pursuit Races (results do not count in any series). That leaves sixteen (16) regular Sunday Cruising Fleet races.

For the last few years, we gave racers the option to choose their division (Non-Spin or Spinnaker) on the day of the Sunday race. If a spinnaker racer was short-handed on the weekends, they could race Non-Spin. (Note for Wednesday Series or our regattas a boat has to commit to a division for the entire series/event).
Here’s the suggestion for a 2023 Sunday Cruising Fleet Series: (16 Sundays from May 7 through Oct 16).

1. We have a joint start (one start) across two divisions. You decide when you check-in which division. Each division would sail the usual, distinct Spin or Non-Spin courses. Two boats required to have a race. If the past is a guide, we’d expect most Sunday races to be Non-Spin only, but that could change — especially if spinnaker skippers communicate with each other their desire or ability to race Spin division on any given Sunday.
   
   
2. We will use this high-score method for Sunday series races: N boats start (in a division), then first place gets N, 2nd place N-1, etc.
   
   
3. Your series score is the sum of your 10 highest scores (in any division). The more you race, and the more boats you beat, the better your chance of winning. There is only an incentive to race more, never to sit out — once you’ve raced 10 times, subsequent races can only help your series score, never hurt it. There’s a further incentive to get more boats to race with you (if you have more boats to beat, and you do beat them, then you get a higher score).
   
   
4. Open to Cruising Fleet members and Shattemuc Fleet Friends.

For 2023 Cruising Fleet Champ, keep the format largely the same — a single Champ across divisions, using Cox-Sprague high-score. But, make it easier to meet the minimum to qualify (number of races, and races other than Wednesdays). Here would be the key elements:

1. Must be an NBC Club member AND member of the NBC Cruising Fleet.
   
   
2. Must start in at least twenty (20) races (any division) — all NBC starts included (Club regattas, HRYRA NBC events, Wednesday Night Series (DOES NOT include tune-up/down nights), Sundays (DOES include Sunday Pursuits), and at least seven (7) races that are NOT Wednesday Nights. (Note, this means racing 20 races out of 50+ scheduled opportunities to race — 18 Wednesday Series, 21 Sundays (Sunday Series and Pursuits), and four regattas: Memorial Day, Guy Moulton, Last Chance, Hudson River Race).
   
   
3. Cox-Sprague “average” taken over your fifteen (15) best results in non-Pursuit Sundays, Wednesday Series, NBC-hosted regattas. If you have fewer than fifteen (15) results, we will still average over 15 (so we’ll count some zero results).

Now, an alternative to consider (especially for “traditionalists” in the fleet — pace LL), is to have a 2023 Cruising Fleet Champ by Division (Spinnaker and Non-Spinnaker). Same criteria as above, except for the following:

• 2. Must start in at least twenty (20) races (any division) — all NBC starts included (Club regattas, HRYRA NBC events, Wednesday Night Series (DOES NOT include tune-up/down nights), Sundays (DOES include Sunday Pursuits), at least seven (7) divisional races that are NOT Wednesday Nights.
  
  
• 3. Cox-Sprague average taken over your 15 best divisional results in non-Pursuit Sundays, Wednesday Series, and NBC-hosted regatta. If you have fewer than fifteen (15) divisional results, we will still average over 15 (so we’ll count some zero results).

Finally, Fleet Scoring will be assiduous in 2023 about reporting progress and standing in the 2023 Fleet Champ Series.

As note above, still a work in progress, so very much want your thoughts on Sunday Series and Fleet Champ.

— Tony Martin, Cruising Fleet Scoring

P.S. What do you think about counting the Hudson River Race (aka Long Distance Race) as two (2) races, for Fleet Champ? In other words count the participation and the results twice in the scoring — 1) Cox-Sprague for the entire field racing in your division, and 2) Cox-Sprague accounting only for the subset of NBC/Cruising Fleet division members in the race. A little extra reason to come out October 7th.

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Hi Tony, thanks for all you do to help ensure a successful PHRF racing season. Quick clarifying question:

We have a joint start (one start) across two divisions. You decide when you check-in which division. Each division would sail the usual, distinct Spin or Non-Spin courses. Two boats required to have a race.

Do you mean two boats in a division, or two boats total. I imagine you mean in each division, but the language isn’t quite clear.

Also, I’m curious about your reasoning to go from 15 to 20 races to qualify for the Fleet Champion award. Won’t that potentially make it so fewer boats qualify?

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Responding to Greg’s questions:

1. Yes, I meant two boats in a division to have a qualifying race.
2. 15 vs. 20 races: we added the Sunday Pursuits as qualifying for the number of races to be in the running (even though results are not counted in the score), this adds five races, and I hope that having a more robust Sunday racing offer (and participation) along with regattas, will make it more likely to meet this requirement. But, it’s a good point, and maybe just requiring seven (7) non-Wednesday races and minimum of 15 overall will do the trick.

We haven’t received much feedback regarding the direction proposed for 2023 Sunday PHRF racing and the Fleet Champ Series. Briefly, here’s where we’re headed. Comments in the Group/Forum welcome, so we can address questions and issues before our April 19 Cruising Fleet Racing meeting.

• Sunday Series: Sixteen (16) Sundays that are not Pursuit Race Sundays or NBC-hosted regattas. Two divisions, but one start. You choose your division each Sunday. High-scoring (1st place score = N (number of starters), 2nd place = N-1, etc.). Series score is the sum of you ten best races (in division). Open to Cruising Fleet members (including Shattemuc Fleet Friends).
  
  
• Cruising Fleet Champ: To qualify: a) must be NBC Member and Cruising Fleet member; b) single Champ across all divisions, b) must start in 15 NBC races on the 2023 calendar (any division), c) must race in at least seven (7) “scored” races (any division) other than Wednesday Night series (the following races are not “scored”: Wednesday Tune-Up (5/7), Wednesday Tune-Down (9/20), and Sunday Pursuit races (6/4, 7/2, 8/6, 9/3, 10/8), d) Hudson River Race will count as two races for qualification and scoring, e) series score will be your best Cox-Sprague average taken over 15 scored races (if you have fewer than 15 scored races, average is still over 15).

Happy to discuss at tonight’s Cruising Fleet Meeting.

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