Regatta Handicap System

In response to popular demand, this year’s Washington’s Birthday Regatta will feature a revised approach to determining winners. Specifically, we will use a performance-based handicap of so many seconds per mile, and the boat’s finish time will be adjusted based on its handicap and the length of the course. The handicap will be determined in advance, to the extent possible, and will be published at the Skipper’s Meeting, the morning of the regatta. This is not an easy task with our fleet of classic boats, so please be gentle with you Race Committee.

Specifically, we will use the following three-step approach:

  1. A boat will be assigned its US Sailing one-design rating based on the specific boat model, if US Sailing has a rating for that boat model. We expect that these will be available for some of the classic boats and most, if not all, of the Mail Run boats.

  2. If a US Sailing rating is not available, but if a boat has raced in the 2024 or 2025 Washington’s Birthday Regatta, then we will formulate a rating which makes the boat competitive relative to US Sailing rated boats (see Step 1), based on the boat’s performance in the past two regattas. We will use all the start and finish times from the past two years in performing this calculation.

    All boats of the same build, for instance Mud Hens, will have the same rating.

  3. Finally, if a US Sailing rating is not available and if a boat of that build has not raced in either the 2024 or 2025 Washington’s Birthday Regatta, then we will formulate a rating after the race. We will select the race which is most representative of the day’s conditions, and will calculate a handicap which makes the boat competitive with previously rated boats (see steps 1 and 2) in that selected race. That handicap will then be used in all of the day’s races.

This is still meant to be a fun regatta, but we hope that this approach will satisfy those participants who are looking for less subjectivity and more transparency.