Sportboats

Out of all the classes of boats that ORC services with measurement guidelines, fair ratings and scoring (eg, Monohulls, Multihulls, and Superyachts), the Sportboats are perhaps the most sensitive to needing accurate ratings and sensibly-applied scoring solutions.

The reason is that these boats are particularly sensitive to large differences in performance as a function of even small changes in wind speed and direction, and the ORC VPP is tuned to recognize this for a diverse range in designs even within the same class.

For example, the ORC system can recognize some features unique to some Sportboats that are not found in other classes of monohulls, such as hiking racks or trapezes. The ORC VPP will numerically predict what performance edge these and other features may have and rate the boat accordingly throughout the full range of wind speeds in the VPP (4-24 knots).

ORC Sportboat events may take advantage of this to offer fair ratings and scoring even in a diverse range of race formats - ranging from an hour-long Windward/Leeward race to a Coastal race of a few hours duration.

And getting an ORC Sportboat certificate is no more complicated than getting a normal ORCi or ORC Club certificate from your national rating office, with the certificates being valid for any kind of race, whether or not among other Sportboats.

The current rules for ORC Sportboats are found here.