The Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) is an international body for the sport of competitive sailing and is responsible for the establishment and maintenance of rating and classification standards used to define offshore, that is marine as opposed to inland,

yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...

racing handicap categories.

Ratings and Classification

The ORC was established in 1969 to create a single international handicap standard to combine the two pre-existing dominant handicap standards - that of the Cruising Club of America which covered North and South Americas, and the standard of the

Royal Ocean Racing Club The Royal Ocean Racing Club is a club in London with a further clubhouse and office in Cowes, Isle of Wight. It was established in 1925 as the Ocean Racing Club, as a result of a race to the Fastnet Rock from Cowes, finishing in Plymouth. It re ...

for Europe and the Antipodes. The combined ruleset, the

International Offshore Rule The International Offshore Rule (IOR) was a measurement rule for racing sailboats. The IOR evolved from the Cruising Club of America (CCA) rule for racer/cruisers and the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) rule. Rule context - past and present rating ...

or IOR, was initially successful. The ORC developed

International Measurement System The International Measurement System (IMS) is a system of handicapping sailboats for the purpose of racing that replaced the earlier International Offshore Rule (IOR) system in the early 1990s. It is managed by the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC). ...

(IMS) in the early 1990s and it was widely used to the early 2000s. This made use of a

Velocity prediction program A velocity prediction program (VPP) is a computer program which solves for the performance of a sailing yacht in various wind conditions by balancing hull and sail forces. VPPs are used by yacht designers, boat builders, model testers, sailors ...

or VPP. While still maintained, the IMS has been largely superseded by the

Offshore Racing Congress Rule The Offshore Racing Congress Rule is a system of handicapping sailboats for the purpose of racing. It is managed by the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) and is usually referred to in the sailing community simply as "ORC". ORC is an enhanced version ...

in its International and, simpler, Club forms. These more recent rule sets are based on the same VPP as the IMS. The VPP is used "to rate boats of different characteristics in size, hull and appendages shape and configuration, stability, rig and sails measurement, propeller installation and many other details affecting their theoretical speed". The organisation created the GP26, GP33 and GP42 classes based on a box rule in the 2010s. Along with the IMS, ORC International and ORC Club, the ORC is also the sole authority recognized by the

World Sailing World Sailing is the international sports governing body for sailing (sport), sailing; it is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). History The creation of the International Yac ...

for the administration of the ORC Grand Prix Classes Rules and the co-related Regulations, measurement and classes.

ORC Publications

ORC Rules & Regulations
In addition to the IMS and ORC Rating Rules, the ORC also publishes "The ORC Championship Rules, Standard Notice of Race, Standard Sailing Instructions and ORC Classes" or 'Green Book', the VPP documentation and other software and related documentation as well as a number of technical data sets including their Stability and Hydrostatics Datasheet.

Organisation

The ORC comprises a Congress and Officers, a number of Committees, Chief Measurers and Rating Offices.

Congress and Officers

ORC Congress & Officers
The Congress' honorary President is currently King Harald V of Norway. Bruno Finzi has held the post of President since 2002. The congress includes national representatives and two from ISAF.

Committees

ORC Committees
Apart from the general Management Committee, other committees cover "Offshore Classes & Events", "Race Management", "Special Regulations", "Measurement" and "Promotion & Development". General technical matters, including responsibility for the maintenance and development of the VPP and other software, are encompassed by the "International Technical Committee" (ITC), chaired by Andy Claughton. A number of working groups also exist.

Measurers and Rating Offices

ORC Rating Officers
The 'Central Rating Office' establishes delegated Rating Offices in each country with active offshore racing. Rating offices issue ORC International and ORC Club certificates and administer their national fleets by supervising the measurement and rating of the yachts. For countries where a national Rating Office is not established, the central ORC Rating office may provide support in issuing certificates and supervising measurement. A 'Chief Measurer' chairs the Measurement Committee. The current Chief Measurer is Zoran Grubiša. National Chief Measurers are established in each national Rating Office.

Events

The ORC organizes multiple events, and the major ones can be grouped as follows: * Current World Championship organised ** ORCi World Championships ** ORCi Two Person World Championship * Former World Championship organised ** 1/4 Ton Cup ** 1/2 Ton Cup ** 3/4 Ton Cup ** 1 Ton Cup ** 2 Ton Cup ** IMS World Championships ** ILC Maxi World Championship ** IMS 30 World Championship ** IMS 50 World Championship ** IMS 500 World Championship ** IMS 600 World Championship ** IMS 670 World Championship ** ISAF Offshore Team World Championship * Continental Championships ** European ORCi ** European ORC Sportsboats * National Championships * Organised by other the following pinnacle events currently use the ORC Rating Systems

References

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External links

2023 International Measurement System IMS2023 ORC Rating System2023 ORC Sportboat Class Rule2023 ORC Superyacht Rule2023 Green Book
Sailing Sailing (sport) World championships in sailing