Performance Handicapped Racing Fleet

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Performance Handicapped Racing Fleet (PHRF) is a handicapping system designed to allow sailing yachts of different design and equipment to compete with one another on the basis of crew skill rather than equipment superiority. The system uses the perceived speed potential of a yacht as the basis for the handicap.

The handicap number assigned to a class of yachts is based on the yacht's speed relative to a theoretical yacht with a rating of 0. A yacht's rating is the number of seconds per mile traveled that the theoretical yacht should be in front of or behind that theoretical yacht. Most boats have a positive PHRF rating, but some very fast boats have a negative PHRF rating. If Boat A has a PHRF rating of 10 and Boat B has a rating of 20 and they compete on a 1 mile course, Boat A should finish approximately 10 seconds in front of Boat B. Results are adjusted for handicap by the race committee after all competitors have finished.

Local Rules Each region has its own variation on PHRF rules and ratings, based on local conditions. Here is an example of the Northern California PHRF Base Rating Report SAMPLE, the base rating is listed by boat in alphabetical order. The following is a sample of the Northern California rules for determining PHRF SAMPLE.

Individual Boats The process of determing the PHRF for an individual boat begins with the regional phrf rating, then adjustments are made for the individual attributers of the boat such as: modifications to the rig, the size of the largest fore sail (jib or genoa), the size of the spinnakers, type of keel (full, fin, wing etc.), the number of blades on the propeller, and the style of the propeller (fixed, folding, feathering). Significant modifications to the mainsail can cause penalties.

A variance of PHRF racing is called a pursuit race, where boats start in reverse PHRF order with the starting times staggered by the PHRF rating variances. This means that the boats will cross the finish line in order of placement in the race.

If a class of yachts is strongly outperforming their assigned rating, the PHRF committee of a region can adjust the handicap as they see appropriate. This prevents classes of yacht within a region from obtaining mistakenly favorable PHRF ratings and compromising the competitive nature of a fleet.