TO:
2006 US-PHRF® FLEETS
FROM:
US SAILING Offshore Office for Paul Ansfield, PHRF Chairperson
RE:
Handicappers Bulletin #1, January 11, 2006
PHRF COMMITTEE
USPHRF is a strong handicapping committee affiliated with US Sailing. With its associated
member regional and local PHRF organizations USPHRF has lead the development and practice of
the most popular rule under which to race for beginning and intermediate levels of intense
competition. The rule has also been utilized by racers with advanced sailing skills competing with
premier boats in high profile events. You should also know that during the past decade there has
been an increase in PHRF handicapped multihulls that regularly travel and compete in many parts
of the country as well as in their home region.
As the new Chair of USPHRF I want to introduce myself and the rest of the USPHRF Committee.
Each member brings commitment and valuable experience, expertise and skills contributing to the
empirical handicapping system we know as PHRF.
FOR THE USPHRF COMMITTEE,
Paul J. Ansfield, Chair USPHRF Committee
1135 Maricopa Drive
Oshkosh, Wi 54904-8118
Email:
ansfield@uwosh.edu
ansfield@northnet.net
ansfield@sbcglobal.net
Phone:
920.424.7176 (B)
920.233.5743 (B/R)
920.233.5782 (F)
920.810.2524 (M)
Paul Ansfield has raced one-design classes and racer/cruiser classes in Green Bay and inland lakes
of Wisconsin. His experience within the sport of sailing includes repeated service to sailors as
several times commodore of a local yacht club and sailing association, local and regional empirical
handicapping, and research and development about the assignment of empirical handicaps. He
continues as Executive Director and handicapper for the Lake Michigan Performance
Handicapping Racing Fleet. He is a current member and twice past Chairperson and Vice Chair of
the USPHRF Committee. He is a member of the USPHRF Executive Committee and manages the
USPHRF National Appeal Process. Other USPHRF Committee activities also include handicap
research and development, and clarification of handicapping issues. He has developed and offered
seminars and forum presentations about the PHRF rule within US Sailing, in Midwestern states
within the US, and in Sweden, Denmark, Majorca, Barcelona and Portugal.
Paul twice served as Chairperson of National Offshore Council (NOC) and represents NOC on the
US SAILING Offshore Committee. He remains a continuing member of the US Sailing National
Offshore Council (NOC) Executive Committee and is currently its secretary. He is also a member
of the new US Sailing House of Delegates representing NOC. He has also served on the US
Sailing General Services Committee and Nominating Committee, and is a past member of the US
Sailing Board of Directors. For the last five years he has served as a member of the Key West
Race Week Handicapping Consortium. Paul is a member of US Sailing’s delegation to the
International Sailing Federation (ISAF). He drafted the original proposal and terms of reference
for the ISAF Empirical Handicap Committee, now a Subcommittee of the ISAF Offshore
Committee, and twice served as its Chairperson as it developed and refined its function within
ISAF. This ISAF subcommittee provides educational forums, distribution of comparative
descriptions of handicapping methodology, tutorials, research and development to improve the
systematic assignment of empirical handicaps, race result analysis, and consultative services to
various national authorities for the sport of sailing that are interested in developing an empirical
handicapping system. He will continue for the next quadrenium as an active member of the ISAF
Empirical Handicapping Subcommittee. While enjoying racing he has found in sailing a place to
apply his professional organizational and management skills.
______________________________
William Baxter: is a member of the PHRF WLIS Committee since 1984 and USPHRF Committee
since 1994. He actively races an Abbott 33, a Knickerboker One Design, and Sonar. He is a
continuing participant in Block Island Race Week and frostbiting in Interclub dinghies at
Larchmont Yacht Club.
Bill is a US Sailing Senior Judge and functions on the International Jury for Key West Race Week
and Accura Race Week, Miami. He has served as Chairman of the regional appeals committee for
the Eastern Long Island Yachting Association and on the USPHRF Appeals committee. He is a
Past Commodore of several yacht clubs and continuing member of many others to include the
Storm Trisail Club.
______________________________
Bruce Bingman owns and races a Mumm-30 in one-design, MORC and PHRF. He has raced a
wide variety of boats ranging from Snipes to a Freers 62. He has sailed in numerous Key West
Race Weeks, Block Island Race Weeks, Newport Gold, NYYC regattas, Newport-Ensenada, Cabo
San Lucas, US IMS Championships, 2002 MUMM-30 Worlds and a lot of local races as crew/boat
captain/owner-skipper. He placed 3rd in 2001 Lloyd Phoenix Regatta as skipper. Starting with the
1996 Olympics as a coach boat/press boat driver as well as powerboat driver instructor, Bruce
jumped into Race Management and has been on the Race Committees for 1998/2000 Kenwood
Cup, 2003/2004/2005 Key West, 2005 Miami Race Week, 2004 North Sails Race Week, 2002 Star
Worlds, 2004 J-22 Worlds, and 2001 to 2005 Rolex Women's Keelboat Championship. In recent
years he has brought his scientific research skills to the development of algorithms for predicting
boat speed. He is interested in looking at the feasibility of developing base handicaps for well
known boats with large national representation in PHRF to which regional or local offsets may be
applied to arrive at a final handicap or sailing number for scoring races. Bruce is the immediate
Past Chair of USPHRF and member of its Executive Committee and current USPHRF Committee
Vice Chair. He is a recent member of the US Sailing Board of Directors, member of the IMS
Owners Committee, and the Offshore Committee. He is IRC Committee Chair and member NOC
Executive Committee.
Bruce Campbell races and cruises a wide variety of small to large monohull keelboats. He races
his racing his own Catalina 36 and crews on a Nelson-Marek 68
Bruce has been Cruise Chairman of his local club in Olympia, Washington and also served as its
Commodore. In the late 80s, he began representing the club at PIYA, the regional sailing
association. He served as commodore of PIYA for three years. He has been an active participant
in US Sailing since the early 90s. He is the current Sail Fleet Captain for Seattle Yacht Club where
he responsible for all sailboat activity at the club, including racing and cruising events At US
Sailing, he has been a member of the USPHRF Committee and member of the National Offshore
Council's Executive Committee. He served on the US Sailing Board of Directors.
_______________________________________
John Collins raced Lightnings for 33 years. He won many fleet championships, 3 District
Championships, the President’s Cup, and the Barney Mead Trophy. He is a Life member of the
Boston Yacht Club, 1988 Massachusetts Bay Yachtsman of the Year, and Captain of the BYC
Match Racing Team for 5 years. He has raced a variety of boats under different handicap and
measurement rules. He is also a member of the “Other Man’s Boat Club” with opportunities to
race an Express 27 OD, masthead Express 27, Express 34, masthead J29, Olson 30, SR33, C+C353, Frers 33, NM36, Mumm 36, Aerodyne 38, Sabre 386 and among others.
John is Co-Author of the New England Rule, the club rule used in New England during the IOR
days He updated and put graphics in the PC version of the IMS VPP that was available from US
SAILING. He is a handicapper for PHRF of New England since 1976. He brings his engineering
and sailmakng skill, and understanding of IOR, IRC, IMS, PHRF and other racing rules to the table
where his expertise is often consulted.
He is a past member of the US Sailing Board of Directors. He served on the Offshore Committee
of US Sailing and was a member of the US ISAF delegation during the first Years of the ISAF
Empirical Handicapping Committee. He is a continuing member of USPHRF Committee since its
inception, the only original member still active. He is a member of the USPHRF Executive
Committee and its Technical Committee. He Chaired the Committee for one partial term and two
full terms. He drafted or helped draft many of the current PHRF documents published by US
Sailing. He is author of many articles in widely read sailing publications. John enjoys a national
and international reputation where his consultative services and expertise are regularly sought.
_____________________________
William Kellner is a member of the Sandusky Sailing Club and Chairman of PHRF Lake Erie for
the past 16 years. He has been sailing competitively for over 25 years. He races on a variety of
keel boats in Buoy and Long Distance races on the Great Lakes. He joined the USPHRF
Committee 8 years ago and has contributed many times to its appeal process.
__________________________________
Alan C McMillan is a lifelong sailboat racer that grew upon the Gulf coast, in Pensacola, Florida.
He began racing in small boats advancing to large PHRF boats in Pensacola for Gulf Yachting
Association buoy and long distance racing activities. He participated in several SORC’s from the
“old” ocean racing formats of the 1970’s, to the current Miami format. He skippered and coskippered boats in several Key West Race Week Series. He has raced in the
Annapolis/Chesapeake Bay, and participated in many CBYRA activities in the late 1970’s and
early 1980’s. For the last 11 years, Alan has sailed on Lake Michigan doing five Mackinac Races
and winning two Chicago Yacht Club Offshore Racing Championships and several Lake Michigan
Sail Racing Federation Boat of the Year Championships.
Alan is a member of Chicago Yacht Club, a member of its Board of Directors and Chair of its
Offshore Racing Fleet. He has Chaired the Chicago NOOD regatta in 2004, 2005, and 2006. He
is also a member of the Pensacola Yacht Club, member of the Lake Michigan PHRF Council of
Handicappers, member of the National Offshore Council, and Chair of US Sailing's Risk
Management Committee
_________________________________
Trey Ritter has raced sailboats all of his adult life. He started sailing in the late 1960’s on small
one designs in Wilmette Harbor Illinois. In the early 1970’s his family owned a PT-22 and a San
Juan 24, which they raced, under PHRF. Trey started working in the Sailboat business in the mid
1970’s at a C&C Yachts dealer, raced IOR ½, ¾ and 1 Ton yachts. He spent one winter in Ohio
building a Graham and Schlageter ½ ton 30-foot racer and raced the boat in Chicago for the next
season. He has raced a variety of other monohull racing/crusing boats. He has participated in the
SORC and in several Chicago-Mackinac events. He is an ‘Old Goat’ with more the 25 Chicago to
Mackinac races. His handicapping experience began with multihulls over 15 years ago.
In the late 70’s Trey started selling cruising and racing sailboats. He began racing and vending
multihulls in the early 1990's and became widely known for his expertise in handicapping these
craft. He became the Chairman of the Farrier Class Association ratings committee that
handicapped the National championships in the mid 1990’s. He chaired the handicapping
committee when the Corsair Trimaran Association started sponsoring the National Championships
in the early 2000’s and continues as its Chair. In the mid 90's Trey became a member of the
USPHRF Committee bringing his multihull experience to that body. He currently races a Corsair
F-28R Trimaran and a Chris White 44.
_____________________________
David Ross races a S&S 48 and a 49er. He competes in Chesapeake Bay and has participated in
several national and international distance races. He is a member of several clubs: Annapolis
Yacht Club, Rhode River Boat Club, Sparkman and Stephens Association and the Chesapeake Bay
Yacht Racing Association.
David brings the problem analysis and solving skills to USPHRF along with associated insights
into data management using information technology. He is a member of the USPHRF Technical
Subcommittee.
____________________________
Jim Tichenor has sailed under PHRF since PHRF Galveston Bay was formed. He first raced a
C&C 33 and then on a C&C 37 campaigning the boat under PHRF until 2000. He currently races a
J-105. Jim races in inland waters plus offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. He has served on the local
PHRF board for 18 years in various capacities ranging from fleet handicapper, Vice Chairman,
Chief Handicapper. He now serves as the Chairman. He also serves on the handicapping
consortium for the Key West Race Week.
Jim is a Vice President of US SAILING, Senior Judge, National Race Officer and current
chairman of the Race Management Committee. He serves on the Olympic Sailing Committee as
the trials chairman.
____________________________
James Walsh, USPHRF Secretary, is a Certified US SAILING Judge and Regional Race officer.
He has served on the PHRF-Mid Atlantic committee for over 12 years (2 as Vice President, 5 as
President and 3 as Central Area Vice President) He is a long time sailor and grew up spending his
summers in Barnegat Bay and Block Island events. As a sailor he is a six time winner of the New
Jersey Offshore Racing Championships. He regularly travels to serve as PRO, Judge or Umpire for
US SAILING national and regional events within the US. He has given racing rules & judging
seminars in NJ, NY, Iowa and IL.
_____________________________
Robert Warnecke has served as Chief Handicapper of Lake Michigan PHRF for the past decade.
He races large and medium one design and offshore racing and cruising boats in buoy and distance
events. He has an engineers understanding of the parameters affecting speed potential of monohull
boats which he applies to the development of the PHRF rule creating a wide variety of empirical
algorithms for race analysis and handicapping. He is a member of the consortium handicapping
boats participating in the Key West Race Week and Accura Race Week. He is a member of the
USPHRF Technical Committee. His other US Sailing activities have included membership on the
Offshore Committee, the National Offshore Council, and the Americap Working Party.
HANDICAPPING BOATS WITH PBO STANDING RIGGING
Wire, rod, and synthetic rigging represent an evolution of systems to keep the mast up with various
advantages of each for racing sailboats. PBO rigging is becoming more popular as standing
rigging in production custom built boats and boats that owners want to refit or modify. It is an
expensive option. One vendor of PBO synthetic rigging points to several compelling benefits to
include higher strength than wire or rod, corrosion resistance, durability, shock reduction, ease of
storage and transport, and weight savings aloft. This last benefit forces handicappers to consider
how boats shipped with or refit with PBO rigging should be handicapped because of the overall
advantage of increased speed potential due to the application of this product that reduces weight
aloft. What to do? The answer arises from discussions and study of the product in papers
available on the internet. It is suggested that the minimum speed potential increase is about 3
seconds per/nm. New production boats that offer a choice of wire, rod, or PBO standing rigging
take this benefit into account so that a differential of 3 seconds per/nm between PBO and the more
traditional standing rigging is reflected in the base handicap. Such a boat by example would be the
C&C 115. Older boats that refit with PBO standing rigging are penalized -3 seconds/per nautical
mile. This is consistent with the PHRF axiom that no owner modifies a boat to go slower. There is
also some discussion that the benefits of utilizing PBO standing rigging may be much greater for
larger rather than smaller boat. Perhaps it is wise to handicap the larger boats using PBO rigging
more conservatively.
REITERATION: HANDICAPPING BOATS WITH LARGE ROACH MAINSAILS
Mainsails with significant upper girth roach are becoming more prevalent. If these are not
recognized and appropriately rated, their unrated advantage with force the fleet towards these sails.
Therefore it is suggested that a rating adjustment be made. The following statement is offered as a
guideline.
Rated without adjustment are one design mainsail girths or IMS default girths (see table).
Mainsails exceeding those values by up to 5% receive a -3 sec/mile adjustment. Excessive girth
mainsails should be adjusted -6 or more sec/mile depending on the amount of increased girth. In
addition, handicappers should review headboard size and if the headboard exceeds 6" or .04E,
whichever is larger, an adjustment should be applied.
GIRTH POINT
MGT (7/8 LEECH)
MGU (3/4 LEECH)
MGM (1/2 LEECH)
MGL (1/4 LEECH)
MAXIMUM WITHOUT
ADJUSTMENT
0.22 E
0.38 E
0.65 E
0.90 E
REQUEST FOR MAILING ADDRESS INFORMATION
The Offshore Office counts a little over 15,000 boats that compete regularly under the PHRF rule.
Charlie Layton, US SAILING Executive Director has asked the USPHRF member fleets to send a
copy of fleet member names and addresses. The request will help insure that communications may
be directed specifically to PHRF sailors nation wide. Some fleets have sent in their list of member
names and address already. Will you send yours? Send the name and address list data in machine
readable format to Donna Leary in the Offshore Office, DonnaLeary@ussailing.org
AGENDA FOR THE SPRING USPHRF COMMITTEE MEETING
The Spring USPHRF meeting will be held in conjunction with the US Sailing Spring meeting in
March. The agenda for the meeting is developing and perhaps you have an item or two that
should be placed on this Spring’s or the Fall agenda. The PHRF committee will prioritize your
suggestions and place several of the most important on the agenda for discussion and perhaps
action. Those items not dealt with in the formal meeting will lend themselves to electronic
discussion via fleet members through email. Please respond with your suggested agenda items by
February 15, 2006. Send your suggestions to me at ansfield@northnet.net with the subject header
“USPHRF agenda items”
PHRF® is a registered mark of US SAILING.