Im in Maine (as I think all NE)- base rating is 141. I sail with masthead spin at 132 (9 sec penalty). We do pretty well. We have long courses, often light air so the masthead helps. We do well upwind in light air. It took me a long time to be fast upwind in 10-15 knots with chop- have to really work at it, keep boat upright , luff a lot to do so, and feather upwind, cant foot off. We play with weight distribution a lot down wind and reaching. we use a number 2 jib a lot before going to the 3. We use a (fractional)reaching cut spin for tight reaches. Generally we change sails more than others. We try to always have 5 crew for weight. We keep the boat as light as possible.We have a very smooth bottom. We follow the tuning guides

:: In San Francisco, the base rating for Express 27s is
:: 135. However, none of the E27s ever get that rating...
::
:: E27 class poles are greater than the "J" measurement of
:: the boat, and that also results in a larger girth on the
:: kites. Also, our one-design rating also includes a 155%
:: genoa. Thus the SF Bay one-design rating is 129, as we
:: are penalized for oversized poles (and kites), as well
:: as for the 155% genoa.
::
:: I believe that if we ask for a rating without the genoa
:: (which may allow a #2, I'm not sure) then there is a 3s
:: credit for a rating of 132.
::
:: E27s do well on rating in the bay area, but it is
:: usually >15 knots.
::
:: Best thing to do is go out when it is blowing 25-30
:: knots and blow the doors off everyone! fast is fun...
::
::
::
:: :: I am racing in Ontario and we use PHRF - Lake Ontario.
:: :: The express is rated at 135 and we race mostly <15 knots
:: :: with a couple of races over that in a year.
:: ::
:: :: I am finding that we race a good race but still have a
:: :: hard time being competitive overall.
:: ::
:: :: What are other people's PHRF rating and any tips on what
:: :: to check?
:: ::
:: :: Thanks,
::
:: :: Don