My corrected 2009 PHRF Certificate.
Well I have never claimed to be the sharpest knife in the drawer and when I got my first PHRF certificate for SEA WEASEL I didn't question it. Other skippers around me however did. The couldn't believe that my boat was being rated faster than theirs. I started to look into it but I found other CS 27 with base ratings around 198 so 209 did not seem that far off. Years past with me having a tough time wining races. I am sure being a novice racer and having old sails had nothing to do with it.
It was over lunch one day that Niko explained that PHRF in BC is usually ads 10% to normal PHRF ratings due to the light conditions and that the base rating for my vessel should be about 218. Looking on the PHRF website I found one other CS27 that is raced on Okanagan Lake. With all code Five sails it was rated at 218. But I had code 5 sails (or so I thought). I emailed the people at PHRF BC who got back to me quickly that my code "V" (not numeral Five) spinnaker gave me a huge advantage.
Last time I had checked my tired old kite (made up primarily of spinnaker tape) was no bigger than any other boats' in my size range. I went back and remeasured the spinnaker and sure enough I had given it 7' more when I firs submitted my first rating request. How the heck do you miscount and add 7'!!
Feeling like a moron I informed them of my mistake and they went ahead and corrected my rating. Now with my old sails my boat rates 221 a full 12 seconds more. Reviewing some of my older races I would have finished significantly better in some and would have even won a few! I should have looked into my rating when my fellow 4-knot-shit-box skippers told me too.
For more information PHRF BC click here.
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