PHRF Improvements

Over the past 18 months, the CIORC committee has undertaken a full review of PHRF and as a result the following changes have been implemented for the upcoming 2015-16 season. 

CIORC are confident that these changes will make PHRF more user-friendly, will increase PHRF fleets and ensure fairer racing.  These changes will take effect from 1^st June 2015.

1. Applications and payments will be made online through the Yachting New Zealand website.
2. The move from a three handicap system (Inshore, Offshore, Short-handed) to a two handicap system, Inshore and Passage.  Inshore PHRF shall be primarily for races of under 25nm in length.  Passage PHRF shall be for races of 25nm or longer.
3. To largely automate the calculation of handicaps.  This automation will ensure an unbiased calculation of ratings.  
4. To increase the frequency of review.  For the 2015-16 season, it is intended that all boats will be reviewed on 15 September 2015, 15 December 2015 and 15 February 2016 and individual event entrants will be reviewed at the request of event organising authorities.
5. To reduce the degree that race results influence a boats PHRF to 75% of its current levels.  For example, Farr 1020s currently vary by 0.045 from the highest to lowest rated boats, this has been reduced to 0.034.
6. The expected performance range for all designs has been reviewed. This means that for some boats, the handicap will adjust either up or down due to the committee reassessing what it believes the design’s potential to be.
7. A 'Special PHRF' handicap will be made available upon request to CIORC from a race organising authority where the organising authority considers neither inshore nor passage PHRF to be appropriate for their event.  The Special PHRF shall be based on the criteria requested by the organising authority, for example, offshore races.
8. A yacht owner who has not previously held a PHRF certificate will be offered their initial certificate for free.  It is hoped this will encourage boats who have not previously raced under PHRF to do so and to give the opportunity for organising authorities to consider scoring their event under PHRF.
9. From June 1, 2015 the Yachting New Zealand website will have a downloadable spreadsheet showing all boats with current a PHRF, their boat and sail measurements, certificates numbers and TCFs.