ORC AGM 2007

Dear sailors,

ORC can look back to another year of progress. Our events have been well arranged and offered top class competition. We work with the world top race organisers. We have more than 7.000 certificates in 32 countries.

The most visible success has been the GP42 class that have had up to twelve boats racing, at least another eight are under construction. This is an impressive line-up of grand prix racers coming together just 18 months after the first draft rule was published. The class has drawn much attention in media. There are plenty of offers for race venues, recently Puerto Calero in the Canary Islands and also from Abu Dhabi for March 2008. We plan for the first World Championship in 2009.

The GP26 has developed well thanks to dedicated designers. The first races are now organised in South America, an owners association is being formed and we are happy to see Martin Billoch from Argentina as ORC Class Manager. We now also see the first GP33´s under construction in Japan, Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea. We will do whatever we can to support networks and offer advice to designers, producers, potential owners and race organizers. We have taken Thomas Nilsson, well known Norwegian offshore sailor as a part of ORC staff.

We have continued our efforts to establish our rules in new countries and regions. Following training seminars in Latvia, Russia and Ukraine, we can now see three new fleets of 25-40 boats each. We also support Korea, where ORC racing is rapidly increasing together with Japanese and Russian fleets. The regional coordination of races has also increased in South America, as well as Northern Europe and the Adriatic Sea.

Three years ago, the Offshore Racing Congress committed to a series of actions that would direct their energy to a list of needs to better serve the yachting community: 

• The need for a new approach and a different kind of rule at the very top level of competition.

• A complete rewriting of the source code for the VPP

• A more comprehensive website, with more information and online services

• Continuing the research, investing in wind tunnel and tank testing facilities

• New staff with special skills to accomplish the goals

• Finally, a new VPP to be conceived, formulated and implemented

It would seem this was an impossible set of tasks, but it has all happened:

• The GP Classes are sailing and under development

• The source code is rewritten

• The website is continuing to be expanded and with online services operating

• Staff has been expanded and operating procedures improved.

It is with pride and satisfaction that ORC now introduce “ORC International”, the new VPP-based rule.  ORC Technical Committee (ITC), consisting of some of the worlds most well known designers like Manolo Ruiz de Elvira, Fietje Judel, Andy Claughton, Axel Monhaupt and others has worked through 2007 with the new rule under the Chairmanship of Alessandro Nazareth.

The framework of multiple modules from measurement to scoring have been respected as the unique modular environment and logics that only IMS has been able to provide. However, the software for the most important part – the Velocity Prediction Program (VPP) – has been completely rewritten in more powerful software, major functions have been reviewed and recent submissions and research results have been implemented.

Major technical factors that have been given extra attention and adjustment are:

• A new Aero model with a different evaluation of sail forces with heel angle.

• Implementation of Code 0 sails

• A new Residuary Resistance curve (Part of the total resistance of the boat)

• A new Righting Moment evaluation

• The effective draft for wings and bulb keels

The rule will be simpler, easier to handle, more accurate and it will better evaluate performance of different kind of yachts. The ORC International Measurement System will be maintained as a measurement procedure, providing accurate definitions and measurements, built upon many years experience. The ORC immense database of yacht data will be maintained and expanded.

ORC Club will be kept as an inexpensive and simplified rule together with ORC International, having the same VPP as internal processor, but with simpler measurement procedures.

The new rules and the new certificates together with the services available on the internet such as Stability Certificates, Performance Packages, Sail plans etc will be available early 2008

The ORC Offshore World and European Championships 2008 will be raced under the ORC International rule. 

These efforts will continue to make ORC lead the way to the future for the international offshore sailing community.

Bruno Finzi
ORC Chairman