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Rules & regulations
2023 Rules improvements
Summary of the changes to the ORC Rules and Regulations as approved at the
ORC Annual General Meeting held on 6 November 2022 in Montecatini, Italy
ORC Annual General Meeting held on 6 November 2022 in Montecatini, Italy
International Measurement System - IMS
IMS is the platform that defines the procedures and methods for measuring a boat's hull, appendages, propeller, stability, rig, sails and accommodation. The complete data set of IMS is intended to be used primarily for ORC International and ORC Club, but it can also be used by other handicapping systems that wish to adjust their performance analysis by secret or public formulae. IMS uses wherever possible the ISAF Equipment Rules of Sailing (ERS) definitions and prescriptions and may be easily understandable for any measurer having experience in measuring different types and classes of yachts. The IMS follows the concept of the Universal Measurement System (UMS) and may be used by any rating system.
Hull scanning measurement guide
The latest laser technology has introduced new instruments that can be used with sufficient accuracy and affordability to make the hull scanning measurement in the field much quicker. Hull scanning measurement guide is intended to give basic instructions on how to capture the geometry of the hull with its appendages with a 3D scanner and provide a cloud of points that can be processed by the ORC Technical Staff to generate a hull offset file.
ORC Rating Systems (ORC International & ORC Club)
ORC Rating systems (ORC International and ORC Club) use the International Measurement System (IMS) as a measurement platform and the ORC Velocity Prediction Program (VPP) to rate boats of different characteristics in size, hull and appendages shape and configuration, stability, rig and sails measurement, propeller installation and other details affecting their speed. ORC Rating Rules includes the limits and defaults for the hull, rig, sails and crew, the rules applying while racing, certificate layouts and description and a complete explanation of different ORC scoring options.
ORC Multihull Rating Systems (ORCmh International & ORCmh Club)
ORC Multihull Rating Systems (ORCmh International and ORCmh Club) use the International Measurement System (IMS) as a measurement platform and the ORCmh Velocity Prediction Program (VPP) to rate boats of different characteristics in size, hull and appendages shape and configuration, rig and sails measurement, propeller installation and other details affecting their predicted sailing speed. ORC Multihull Rating Rules includes the limits and defaults for the hull, rig, sails and crew, the rules applying while racing, certificate layouts and description and a complete explanation of different ORCmh scoring options.
ORC Superyacht Rule
The ORC Superyacht Rule uses the IMS (International Measurement System) and ORC VPP (Velocity Prediction Program) modified to cover all the features and special characteristics of superyachts in calculating the yacht’s predicted speed in different wind and sea conditions. With this information ratings are calculated and used for corrected time calculations in scoring of races of yachts of different sizes and characteristics. Beside its scientific background, the main principle of the rule is transparency. Copies of certificates are available at the ORCsy website and each owner or representative has the ability to check the effects on their rating when changing any measurement value using the ORCsy ‘Sailor Servces’.
ORC Sportboat Class Rules
Combining the power of the ORC VPP with an application specified to small, light and fast keelboats, the ORC Sportboat class is attracting attention throughout the world as a fair and transparent handicap solution for these style boats. According to the ORC Sportboat rules, three divisions are defined: Division A for boats with DSPM/LSM03 of <3.70 and have only asymmetric spinnakers, Division B for boats with DSPM/LSM03 of <6.00 that have no trapezes, and Division C for boats with DSPM/LSM03 of <6.00 and are equipped with trapezes.
"Green Book"
The ORC "Green Book" contains ORC Championship Rules that apply at the World and Continental Championships recognized by the ORC and ISAF. ORC Championship Rules are also recommended for regional and national championships, and a Standard Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions may be used for any event using ORC Rating systems. ORC Green Book is available in form or PDF file. Following parts of ORC Green Book are also available for separated download in following formats:
ORC Race Management Guide
The ORC Race Management Guide is a comprehensive guidebook to the way ORC ratings are applied to racing and some best practices tips learned from decades of race management experience at annual ORC championship events. The structure of organizing races and regattas is also discussed, along with numerous examples of the various scoring methods and recommendations for their intended use.
ORC VPP Documentation (not yet updated for 2023)
The ORC VPP is part of three key elements to the current ORC handicap system: the International Measurement System (IMS) used to measure the boat, the performance prediction procedure which determines the parametric inputs used by the VPP to predict sailing speed at different wind speeds and angles, with different sails set and a race management system where the results of the VPP are applied to offer race handicapping, whether generalized or specific to the conditions of the race. The VPP Documentation describes the methodology of the equations used to calculate the forces produced by the hull, appendages, and sails, and how these are combined in the VPP.
ORC Speed Guide Explanation
The ORC Speed Guide puts the power and accuracy of the ORC VPP to work for you, the boat owner. Use of the Speed Guide can help your team improve their performance on the water by giving you target boat speeds to achieve for any wind strength and any wind angle and with any sail combination. This package collates and displays in both tabular and graphical form the theoretically predicted boat speed, in knots, of any boat measured for ORC International or ORC Club. The data is given for a wide variety of true wind speeds (6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, & 20 knots) and true wind angles, including optimal upwind and downwind VMG angles. The data is also provided for a variety of sail combinations: headsails set on the forestay, headsails set flying, symmetric and asymmetric spinnaker.
