TNT

Gold Fleet:  Tower

Red Fleet: Bay

TNT Changes for 2023

The fleet captains have been discussing solutions to two recurring challenges for TNTs:  the slower fleets starting so late and having a tougher time getting around the course in a reasonable time, and the handicap fleet being the dumping ground for fleets without enough boats, creating a very congested and chaotic start.  After several months of discussion, we took a vote and passed a proposal to move back to bay and tower starts as part of the solution.  Not only will this get all fleets started in half the time, but it will also allow the race committee to choose different courses for the different groups if needed.  The other part of the solution is to define how to combine fleets when there are not enough boats present for a dedicated start, so they don’t all end up in the handicap start.

Fleet Groups - Gold and Red

We will divide the fleets into a Gold Group and a Red Group (the club colors).  These groups will alternate each week between starting in the bay or at the tower. The fleets will be started in order of Portsmouth rating, from lowest to highest, but also based on similar performance characteristics.  The fleet grouping appears below and includes each fleet’s Portsmouth rating.

Combining Fleets

Fleets with at least 3 boats will be given their own start.  Fleets with less than 3 boats will be combined with other fleets in their fleet group at the discretion of the Race Committee, but with the goal of combining fleets that are close to each other in terms of Portsmouth rating and performance characteristics.  This will keep those fleets out of the handicap fleet and should give them a better start.  Race Committee will communicate these grouping of fleets over the loudspeaker from the tower or Barca.

Example: If there are 3 Soling, 2 Thistle, 1 Lightning, 3 MC Scow and 1 Finn, the Thistle, Lightning and Finn fleets would be combined into a single start, after the Soling fleet and before the MC Scow fleet.

Gold Group

• Multihull
• Soling (82.3)
• Thistle (83)
• Lightning (87)
• MC Scow (87.8)
• Finn (90.1)
• Laser (91.1)
• Snipe (91.9)

Red Group

• Handicap (HCK/HCD)
• Victory (98.3)
• Lido (98.9)
• Sunfish (99.6)
• CFJ (102.50)
• Sabot (136.4)

Juniors O’pen Bic and Sabot

These two typical sail a windward/leeward course and are started together at the tower after the other fleets have started