After reading various letters about new boat designs, BOTY, one designs, open 30's and crash and burn super cats, it is obvious that boat design and building is thriving as never before. However it seems that no one has come out with a solid PHRF design in years. PHRF is thriving in many areas but suffers from a lack of new designs that rate well and make a good all-around boat. A boat that you can race around the bouys, then do the Mac race without extreme crew sacrifice, comfort wise. No PHRF is not perfect, but it is darn close.
Any knucklehead can compute time differences at a mark and figure gains and loses.
The huge PHRF fleet at Key West should be indicator enough, however there are a lot of people sailing older designs there who could afford better, if there was a choice. It is my experience that there are three types of starters. Sailors who arrive at the starting line with a plan, those who work it out on the fly, and the clueless. In general the planners get average plus starts, and the folks who work it out on the fly get lots of great and bad starts. The only way to do successful port tack starts is to see the opportunity emerge balance the risks and go for it.