Well,
we have just completed our first ever season pointscore (Spring 2002) and what a
learning experience it was for organisers, administrators and competitors!
Nonetheless, as with most pointscores, showing up each week, having your boat
ready to go before racing starts and sailing well won out in the end.
A total of 8 skippers contested the series though one could not attend each week and another only got his boat half way through. After 40 counting races one point separated first and second place and fourth and fifth place. Individual round scores where also often very close, including a dead heat in the last round.
The series was finally won by Bruce Yarrow sailing Eddie Cowell’s old Paradox (RM) in the early rounds then Eddie’s (old?) Fog (IOM) in the later rounds (what are you sailing now Eddie so I know what Bruce will be sailing next year?!!!). Bruce had a ding-dong battle all season with Robbie Kerr who mostly sailed his old Zero (RM) while his Vibe (RM) was in dry dock being turbo-charged. Things were getting so serious Robbie stripped all the paint off his boat to lighten it but then put a new coat back on – should have left it off Rob, you might have got that extra point. The battle swung one way then the other from week to week with first Robbie suffering a set back (having to swim for the boat twice) and then in the final round Bruce’s winch packed it in after two races. The final score (Bruce by one point) being so close probably best reflects the way the season went for these two.
Matt Hunter, sailing a Delisser Special (RM) in all but the last round and then a Mirage (IOM). managed to recover from chronic battery flattening in the early rounds and missing a round altogether to finish with a late charge winning all the last three rounds to finish third in the season tally. Bob Sare made his first foray into the sport in round one and won round two before being out gunned by the stronger winds in the middle rounds with no small rig to fall back on. Gav Bycroft seemed to have a new or rebuilt boat each week and so was often chasing that “groove” with their tuning. Norm Walker probably threw away a much better placing by taking a holiday and missing two rounds – come on Norm, holidays are for out of pointscore season or weekdays only!
Brad Taylor only got his new boat fitted out in time for the last two rounds and poor Gary Jesberg must have had trouble with the issuer of leave passes and only got one round in (that purple Paradox must be getting pretty dusty).
The biggest winner probably is the way we conduct these events and racing in general in the future. We have programmed three seasons for 2003 with a total of over thirty pointscore days.
Racing was conducted on a handicap basis over 6 rounds, each round comprising 2 seeding races (to set handicaps) and 8 pointscore races. Handicaps where adjusted each race depending on finishing position. The low point system was used for scoring each race with penalty points for not starting, finishing or showing up. Each competitor dropped one race from each round and one round in the series to arrive at the final points placings. Skippers where allowed to sail different yachts from week to week and retain their own points.