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NEW IRC CLASS FOR PALMA 2008

The Superyacht Cup is no ordinary racing regatta. The concept of starting a fleet of anywhere up to 20 – 30 Superyachts on the same start line is a daunting experience, not only for the committee but also for the owners. Over the past 12 years the SYC committee have developed a unique racing format, based on the principles of 'Pursuit Racing' (which is described in more detail below) enabling cruising boats of all designs to sail against each other.

For The Superyacht Cup Palma 2008 there will additionally be a new IRC class for the more performance-orientated yachts with a current IRC certificate.

The Sailing Instructions will be available on this website on Friday May 30th. The class lists will be published on June 10th and a captains briefing will be held on June 11th at 1930 in Castillo de San Carlos adjacent to the regatta site.

If you would like any further details of how to obtain or update your IRC certificate please contact kate@thesuperyachtcup.com

PURSUIT RACING EXPLAINED

The Pursuit system is based on an elapsed time and points system calculated over three days. The Superyacht Cup operates a ‘low points win’ system. By adjusting the start times of each yacht per day based on the previous days performance, the system allows for the yachts to be rated as fairly as possible, and ensure a close finish to the event by Day 3. This is how it works:

Day 1

• Start times are set for all competing yachts by the committee. Start times are based on a yachts estimated performance over the course.
• All yachts start (staggered start) at intervals advised by the committee on the given radio channel. The slower yachts start first and the faster yachts follow.
• The objective of Pursuit Racing is simply to pass the boat/s in front of you!
• All yachts complete the set course and the ‘course time’ of each yacht is recorded by the committee over the finish line.
• Your finishing position and points are simply in the order in which the boats cross the finish line i.e. 1st place = 1 point
• Each position is then multiplied by a variable points factor of between x0.1-0.9 at the committee’s discretion. This low points factor is designed to avoid yachts ‘going slow’ on purpose on Day 1 as the points factor will increase on Day 2 and Day 3.
  
  For example:
  1st place, 1 point x 0.1 = 0.1pt
  2nd place, 2 points x 0.1 = 0.2pts
  3rd place, 3 points x 0.1 = 0.3pts and so on...
  

Day 2

• Start times for Day 2 are calculated by taking the difference between the finishing times of all yachts on Day 1.
• For example, if Boat A finished 30 minutes ahead of Boat B on Day 1, then Boat A will start 30 minutes behind Boat B on Day 2. If Boat C finished 15 minutes ahead of Boat B on Day 1, then Boat C will start 15 minutes behind Boat B on Day 2. The start sequence would be 1. Boat A - 2. Boat C (+15mins) – 3. Boat B (+30 mins).
• As Day 1, the finishing positions and points are allocated in the order in which the boats cross the finish line. However on Day 2, a higher points factor of x1 will be applied.
  
  For example:
  1st place, 1 point x 1= 1pt
  2nd place, 2 points x 1= 2pts
  3rd place, 3 points x 1= 3pts
  
  These points are then added to the Day 1 points.

Day 3

• Start times for Day 3 are calculated by taking the difference between the finishing times of all yachts on Day 2 (see above example Day 2).
• Since by Day 3, all yachts will be as closely rated as possible, a points factor of 1.5 – 3 points will be applied to the finishing positions.
  
  For example:
  1st place, 1 point x 1.5 = 1.5pts
  2nd place, 2 points x 1.5 = 3pts
  3rd place, 3 points x 1.5 = 4.5pts
  
• All points from Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 are added to determine the final standings and overall winner.