One of the things that we are regularly asked is what is the correct ratio of teams and flights when running a team racing event. There is not a perfect answer to this and every event will be slightly different depending on what the event objectives are.
For example, a group of friends who are having a fun series of races between themselves will want to try and get as much racing in but won't mind everyone having a break to add to the social part of the day. At a larger event where making the most of the time available to run as many races as possible, there needs to be consideration for giving teams chance to come ashore for breaks as well as how to keep starts going without having to wait for teams to finish previous races.
Generally, in anything other than a 1 flight event, the rule of thumb should be that teams appreciate between 30% and 60% of their time afloat.
This ratio is calculated by dividing how many teams will be sailing at any one time by the number of teams at the event. Eg. at a 3 Flight Event with 12 teams; 6 Teams will be sailing in boats at any one time. 6/12 gives 50% sailing time. In larger events, once teams start being afloat for more than 50% of time, the delays caused by slow changeovers can mean that there is not enough time ashore and therefore working to slightly lower ratios can work better.
Should an event be planned such that teams will spend less than 30% of their time afloat racing; sailors will begin to feel that they are spending significantly extended periods ashore and may feel that they are not getting value for money from their entry fee. As a general principle, 1 Flight of boats provides entry capacity for up to 6 Teams; therefore with 3 flights, there should be a maximum of 18 teams to ensure everyone gets a good event.
The following table aims to highlight what generally can work for different numbers of teams and flights. The traffic light colours are a general indication of what can work well and what ratio's can cause problems! As always, if you think you want to know more or are unsure exactly how to achieve the best for your event please ask!
| No Teams | 1 Flight | 2 Flights | 3 Flights | 4 Flights | 5 Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 100% | - | - | - | - |
| 3 | 67% | - | - | - | - |
| 4 | 50% | 100% | - | - | - |
| 5 | 40% | 80% | - | - | - |
| 6 | 33% | 67% | 100% | - | - |
| 7 | 29% | 57% | 86% | - | - |
| 8 | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% | - |
| 9 | - | 44% | 67% | 89% | - |
| 10 | - | 40% | 60% | 80% | 100% |
| 11 | - | 36% | 55% | 73% | 91% |
| 12 | - | 33% | 50% | 67% | 83% |
| 13 | - | 31% | 46% | 62% | 77% |
| 14 | - | 29% | 43% | 57% | 71% |
| 15 | - | 27% | 40% | 53% | 67% |
| 16 | - | 25% | 38% | 50% | 63% |
| 17 | - | - | 35% | 47% | 59% |
| 18 | - | - | 33% | 44% | 56% |
| 19 | - | - | 32% | 42% | 53% |
| 20 | - | - | 30% | 40% | 50% |
| 21 | - | - | 29% | 38% | 48% |
| 22 | - | - | 27% | 36% | 45% |
| 23 | - | - | 26% | 35% | 43% |
| 24 | - | - | 25% | 33% | 42% |
| 25 | - | - | - | 32% | 40% |
| 26 | - | - | - | 31% | 38% |
| 27 | - | - | - | 30% | 37% |
| 28 | - | - | - | 29% | 36% |
| 29 | - | - | - | 28% | 34% |
| 30 | - | - | - | 27% | 33% |