Average Laps (AL)
Dinghy Average Laps Race – Beginner’s Guide
A dinghy average laps race is a type of sailing race where boats of different speeds race together, but not everyone sails the same number of laps. It’s designed to make racing fair and fun, even when different types of boats are involved.
Here’s how it works:
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All the boats start at the same time and sail around a course made up of buoys (marks).
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The race runs for a set amount of time (for example, 45 or 60 minutes).
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During that time, some boats will complete more laps than others, especially if they are faster.
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When the race finishes, the race officer records how many laps each boat completed and how long they took to do them.
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Each boat’s total time is then divided by the number of laps it sailed. This gives an average lap time.
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The average lap time is then adjusted using each boat’s handicap number (like a golf handicap) to make it fair.
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The boat with the best corrected average lap time wins!
This format is great for mixed fleets and makes sure that even if a boat doesn’t sail as many laps as others, it still has a fair chance based on how well it sailed the laps it did.