Offshore Championship….. so who won the award ?
Well the Racing is all done and a few boats, including Alien, took themselves out of contention with poor tactical decisions during the Apollo Bay race but……. we still don’t have a result and the scoring arrangements are under review.
The key issue is whether the NOR for the Offshore Championship permits results from the Double Handed Division to be included in the scoring. Can Double Handed Division Results, which are Performance Handicap only, be used if a boat also competed as part of the main fleet ? Putting this another way, does a skipper’s decision to put in an extra entry against fully crewed boats rule out use of the Double Handed results for Offshore Championship scoring ?
In some races the question is irrelevant. In the case of the Westcoaster, Maverick scored fifth in both the Double Handed division and against the main fleet. In the King Island Race Maverick won the Double Handed Division and a 3rd in IRC against the fully crewed boats. However not all conditions suit Double Handed racing and in the Stanley race Maverick came 9th against the fully crewed boats.
Which score counts? For those who are interested, the relevant clauses in the NOR for the Offshore Championship are 2.8 and 2.4. Initial Rules advice will be considered by the Committee at its meeting next month but the chances are that the matter will end up before the Jury.
