Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo 2023 S600 LEADERBOARD

55th ORC Congress concludes in Singapore

by Offshore Racing Congress 5 Nov 06:02 PST
J Class racing © Sailing Energy

Representatives of boat owners and sailors from the 41 nations around the world that use rating certificates from the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) met today in Singapore at the 55th edition of their annual Congress meeting.

At this meeting a variety of important issues have been discussed and ratified that relate to the structure of the organization, its growth and development around the world, its financial health and budget plans for the future, reports from ORC's Committees and approval of their recommendations for rule changes and policies for the coming year.

Following positive trends seen in the last several years, 2024 was a good year for ORC with modest growth in both the numbers of boats and certificates issued in numerous countries around the world. From 31 October 2023 to the same date in 2024 there were 14,328 ORC certificates issued, a 0.3% increase, and the number of boats receiving these certificates increased to 9221 boats, a 3.5% increase.

Detailed information on ORC in 2024 is found in the Annual Report here

Besides providing ORC International, ORC Club, ORC Double Handed and ORC Non-Spinnaker certificates for Monohulls, Multihulls, Sportboats, and Superyachts, ORC this year also worked with the J Class to provide special ORCj certificates and ratings for their magnificent yachts. To assist with technical matters such as measurement, ratings and scoring, ORC technical staff provides on-site support at ORC World and European events, as well as many regattas for the Superyachts, Multihulls and J Class yachts.

The strength of the ORC system is in its Velocity Prediction Program (VPP) to use the latest scientific and technical tools to provide what's needed for fair racing among boats of dissimilar design. A report from the International Technical Committee (ITC) from chairman Andy Claughton showed the ongoing improvement to the VPP based on user inputs on specific topics such as Headsail furlers, Non-manual power systems, expansion of the VPP to include 4 knots, effects of appendage surface areas, and the committee's ongoing basic research on items such as improvement of downwind aero coefficients.

In total, the anticipated effects of VPP changes for 2025 on the 1800 designs in the ORC test is is a modest 0.4% decrease of the GPH ratings. A more complete summary of this work is available here.

Perhaps the most exciting report given by Claughton was on the status of the Weather Routing Scoring initiative approved last year and developed and tested throughout 2024. 50 races were both officially and unofficially scored for race organizers and the software improved in cooperation with PredictWind.

Early in 2025 a web app is anticipated to become available for broader access to race organizers beyond just the ORC championship events. Guidelines will be developed on how to use this exciting new method to bring fair ratings to offshore races of 6 hour to 4 day durations, with the latter possibly being extended to longer durations as more testing is made in 2025.

"This is an exciting development for ORC," said ORC Chairman Bruno Finzi. "Making this available as a web-based tool in cooperation with our partners at PredictWind opens up the possibility for its use in routing for all sailing boats, not just for getting ratings for a fleet of racing boats. We congratulate the hard work this team has put in this year for development of WRS."

Yet another new and interesting application of the versatility and power of the ORC VPP is a class being developed called ORC Classics that may breathe new life into otherwise old and forgotten designs. Deputy Chief Measurer Nicola Sironi describes the vision for forming this "new" group:

"We would encourage Race Organizers to establish an "IOR" Division within their existing ORC fleets that is dedicated to boats with an Age date between 1970 and 1990, the IOR era. Many of these boats are still in commission, have a measured hull file, and are suitable for offshore races, but just a few of them keep actively racing, often getting rather poor results. A separate Class or Division dedicated to them will be an encouragement for them to keep racing, and motivate others to join races.

"The only requirement to belong to this group is the Age date - there is no need for any additional measurements or certification beyond what is required to obtain an ORCi or ORC Club certificate, so this is ready for immediate implementation. Boats older than the IOR era can also be included, when they have measured data available, and they comply with the category of any relevant safety rules for any given race."

Minutes of the ORC Committees that describe these discussions and more are found here.

2025 ORC Championship events:

ORC World Championship in Tallinn (EST), 8-16 August
ORC European Championship / Copa del Rey MAPFRE in Palma (ESP), 26 July-2 Aug
ORC North American Championship in Chicago (USA), 20-24 August
ORC Double-Handed World Championship in Monfalcone (ITA), 7-13 September
ORC Double-Handed European Championship in Helsinki (FIN), 5-12 July
ORC Sportboat European Championship in Torbole (ITA), 18-24 May

2026 ORC Championship events:

ORC World Championship in Sorrento (ITA), 1-7 May
ORC Double-Handed World Championship in Scheveningen (NED), 22-25 May
ORC European Championship in Klaipeda (LTU), dates TBA
ORC Double-Handed European Championship in Altea (ESP), dates TBA
ORC North American Championship in San Francisco (USA), Sept dates TBA
ORC Sportboat European Championship in Cartagena (ESP), Sept or Oct TBA

Related Articles

J/Fest Southwest a family affair!
A popular tradition among the J/Boat owners throughout the region The J/Fest Southwest Regatta celebrated its 14th Anniversary and it has been a popular tradition among the J/Boat owners throughout the region. For the 2024 edition, thirty-five J/Teams participated from around the country. Posted on 10 Nov
Lexus of Tasmania Maria Island Race
KD4 and Midnight Rambler Share the Spoils It took Joe De Kock's Dehler 44 KD4 just 26 hours to sail the 180-mile racecourse in the Lexus of Tasmania Maria Island Race conducted by The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania on the weekend. Posted on 10 Nov
21st Jabuka Regatta preview
Over 100 boats and nearly a thousand sailors have gathered on Croatia's most isolated island Vodice is once again the sailing center of the Adriatic. The 21st edition of the Jabuka regatta, the largest and most popular offshore race in Croatia, is taking place from November 8th to 10th, organized by JK Tijat Vodice. Posted on 8 Nov
Dasher+Fisher How Bizarre wins 2024 Rudder Cup
Dasher+Fisher How Bizarre has won the 2024 Melbourne to Devonport Rudder Cup Dasher+Fisher How Bizarre has won the 2024 Melbourne to Devonport Rudder Cup by the slimmest of margins in a thrilling race of tactics, superb sailing conditions and great fun. Posted on 3 Nov
2024 Melbourne to Devonport Rudder Cup Preview
Young guns, sailing royalty and double handers vying for glory Race analysts are predicting good weather and great sailing for the large fleet competing for the prestigious 2024 Melbourne to Devonport Rudder Cup (the Rudder Cup). Posted on 31 Oct
Get to know Block Island Race Week
In Person (Larchmont Oct 30) or Online (Zoom Oct 24) Join us in Larchmont on October 30th or online on October 24th to see why 50 boats have already registered for the best sailing week of the year! Posted on 23 Oct
Relive the action of 2024 Rolex Big Boat Series
Mark your calendars for September 10-14, 2025! Sixty years, one excellent regatta! Take a moment to watch a recap video from the 2024 Rolex Big Boat Series, and mark your calendars for next year. We look forward to seeing you on the water September 10-14, 2025, at St. Francis Yacht Club! Posted on 18 Oct
Make Crew Management Easier This Season
5 Ways MySail Will Help As the sailing season heats up, managing your crew effectively becomes paramount. Whether you're prepping for local regattas or planning an offshore campaign, having a streamlined system in place can make all the difference. Posted on 17 Oct
J/24 and ORC Worlds, LVC Finals, Women's AC
David Schmidt looks at the current racing news from a North American perspective Few things are more inspiring than seeing someone accomplish something that they had to fight long and hard to achieve, and that required a massive amount of commitment. Posted on 8 Oct
The Yacht Sales Co Sail Paradise Regatta day 3
Skippers and crew made the most of the delay waiting for the wind Day Three presented very light conditions for our final day of racing, with starts postponed till 12:45pm covered Course 11 using the Surfers Mark for PHS & Cruising Divisions, and a final Windward/Leeward RTC for the IRC competitors off Broadbeach. Posted on 7 Oct
Maritimo 2023 S-Series FOOTERTrinidad and Tobago - Sail Service Stay