Personal Handicap Ratings and Series
Aims of a Personal Handicap System
1) Providing an additional equitable competition
Personal Handicap racing is equitable: It measures relative performance. It adjusts for pre-existing disadvantages so that everyone has an equal opportunity to win based on effort and execution on that specific day. Consider this simple question: If the worst sailor in a fleet sails his best ever race while the best sailor in the fleet sails his worst ever race, who should win?
2) Provides a Process/Mastery Goal
A personal Handicap attempts to provide a clear benchmark. If your handicap goes down, you are getting better. This is especially rewarding for improving sailors. Focusing on your handicap is the difference between an Outcome Goal (beating someone else) and a Process/Mastery Goal (improving yourself).
The 2026 season personal handicap numbers have been calculated from the 2025 season results. This file shows the new individual numbers derived from the more detailed file below it, which has personal handicaps for each helm and boat combination.
