The DRYA PHRF Handicap Review Board ("HRB") will meet on Monday, September 12, 2005 at 7:00pm at Bayview Yacht Club to conduct the Fall 2005 review of boat handicaps for the 2006 Racing Season. We will be meeting every Monday through late October. An updated schedule will be published in October.

Persons interested in becoming involved, or continue to be involved, in the handicapping process as Group Handicappers are invited to attend.

The role of the Group Handicappers is to assess boat and race data and to make recommendations regarding handicaps to the full HRB. One member of each rating group is selected by the Group Handicappers to be a voting member of the HRB. Participation in the process requires the ability to assess technical information, but even more important is the ability to put aside your self-interest and assess handicaps in a fair and objective manner. Because we have term limits on participation, which is designed to avoid the "smoke-filled room" syndrome, we need some fresh faces at our next meeting. However, please remember that the purpose of the September 12th meeting is for the group to collectively and objectively start the Fall Review of current handicaps. If you are only interested in acting as an "advocate" for or against a particular boat this is not a meeting you should attend.

Once the Fall Review is completed the HRB will publish a list of any changes it proposes to make to handicaps. The deadline for publishing that list is in early January 2006. At that point we will invite comments on the proposed changes via postings to the DRYA Handicapping Forum on the Internet. In addition to providing your comments on changes proposed by the HRB, you will also be invited to submit a written request and documentation to support a change to the rating of any other boat.

Please forward this message to anyone who you think might be interested in joining the DRYA Handicap Review Board. It is time for some new blood. Everyone who races regularly should be prepared to step up to the plate.

Topics for discussion on September 12 will include:

• IRC in the DRYA
• Class splits for the 2006 Racing Season,
• First list of boats to consider reviewing,
• Review of critical dates in the handicapping process,
• Schedule of additional meetings,

In order to maintain some peace and harmony we aim to keep our meetings at a two-hour time frame, ending at 9:00pm.

I look forward to seeing you on September 12, 2005 at Bayview Yacht Club.