ORC North American Championship 2025 at Block Island Race Week

Notice of Race

NoR amendment #1

Entries

The Storm Trysail Club will host the ORC 2025 North American Championship as part of the 31st Block Island Race Week (BIRW), set to take place June 21-27, 2025. This follows the highly successful ORC World Championship held in Newport last fall.

“We’re pleased that Storm Trysail could make their prestigious event available for ORC competitors to compete at this first-ever North American Championship,” said Bruno Finzi, Chairman of ORC.

Matt Gallagher, ORC Deputy Chairman, highlighted the compatibility of the ORC system with the Block Island Race Week format. “The combination of the 20-mile Round the Island Race, navigation challenges, and buoy racing will truly exercise every element of the ORC rating and scoring system.”

Storm Trysail Club is committed to three ORC divisions, two of which will have limits on the number of Group 3 (professional) sailors. This dual-class format upholds the Corinthian spirit of Block Island Race Week while accommodating a broad spectrum of competitors.

Registration

To compete in the ORC North Americans, entries registered in Block Island Race Week will be assessed an additional $100 fee to help defray the support costs associated with conducting an ORC continental championship event. This can be paid on the Storm Trysail Club Add-Ons page. This page also offers the option to pre-purchase Early Bird Tent Bracelets. New entrants can register directly on YachtScoring.com.

See Notice of Race Amendment for specific details and join the action!

About Block Island Race Week

In 1964, Commodore Jakob Isbrandtsen and NY Herald Tribune yachting reporter Everett B. Morris were jointly instrumental in urging The Storm Trysail Club to establish Block Island Race Week. Isbrandtsen and Morris patterned the Club’s new race week after Cowes Week in the U.K. The dominant theme is hard racing with fine competition and time for daily camaraderie in complete informality. The first Race Week in 1965 attracted more than 175 boats and 1,200 sailors, and was hailed a complete success.

In 2015 the Club celebrated the 50th anniversary of Block Island Race Week, with 167 boats racing in 15 classes. Block Island Race Week is the largest big boat regatta in the Northeast, and one of the most prestigious regattas in the United States. It regularly attracts the world’s best sailors who compete in the latest offshore one-designs, grand-prix and cruiser-racer designs.

Block Island Race Week