The proposition that a measurement-based regime would encourage owners to better maintain or upgrade their yachts is illogical. Any classic yacht that races regularly will already be adequately maintained. Upgrades would add to a handicap, which is hardly encouraging. Inevitably, this would soon lead to the rise of an optimisation scramble lead by the professional "rating whisperers" who have become such a blight on IRC racing.

The obvious goal being to equitably rate a full range of boat sizes and types over a variety of conditions, and while this is a tall order given the diversity of the diverse Classic fleet, during the 2022 season the racing was good and the ratings seemed reasonably fair.