FEATURES
FEATURES
Race HKPN
Getting a handicap couldn’t be easier
Words
Elaine Morgan & Bridget Chan, HKPN Committee
The January/February issue of Hebe Jebes saw the beginning of a series of articles on HKPN, the Hong Kong Performance
Number. More and more boats are racing under HKPN at Hebe Haven Yacht Club so it is hoped that these articles will both
encourage new racers to hit the start line and to explain to more seasoned racers how HKPN really works.
such as crew capability, racing experience, age of sails, condition
of a boat and hull etc. is almost impossible, so we don’t even try to
assess all of these variables. Instead, an initial handicap is normally
based, objectively, on the potential speed of a boat.
There are many established rating schemes such as IRC and
PHRF that can be used to determine the potential speed of a boat
through a Time Correction Factor (TCF) and these established rating
schemes are a starting point for most handicaps that appear on the
HKPN list.
A TCF is turned into a handicap by the use of a factor, F (NB this
doesn’t stand for ‘Fudge’!). The F factor varies depending on style
of boat and is determined by comparing generic types of boat on
the HKPN list with ratings that would typically be calculated for them
under IRC or PHRF. As an example, Windseeker, under IRC would
have a TCF of about 0.904. Using the F factor for Windseeker, a
classic performance cruiser, her initial HKPN would be 1054 using a
simple calculation:
HKPN = 1000 / (TCF x F Factor)
The current F Factors on the HKSF website are:
DESCRIPTION
F FACTOR
CLASSIC CRUISERS
CRUISERS
The HKPN application form can be found on the Hong Kong Sailing
Federation (HKSF) website and when complet