Garmin and ORC: A Partnership Driving the Future of Offshore Sailing
5 November 2026 - Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain - From title sponsorship of major championships to digital cooperation and advanced marine technology, Garmin has become an important partner in ORC’s mission to develop and promote competitive sailing worldwide.
The partnership between the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) and Garmin continues to grow, bringing together two organisations with a shared commitment to innovation, performance and the development of offshore sailing. We spoke with Iiro Kinnanen, Team Leader Marine Sales Nordic at Garmin, about what drives it.
Title partner of major ORC championships
Garmin has sponsored the ORC European Championships in 2024 and 2026, was the title sponsor for the Garmin ORC Double Handed European Championship in 2025 in Helsinki, and the Garmin ORC World Championship 2025 in Tallinn. It will also be the title sponsor of the Garmin ORC World Championship 2027 in Copenhagen.
“Taking part in ORC’s high-level championships is a good way to raise the knowledge and reliability of Garmin equipment in very demanding conditions,” says Kinnanen. “The cooperation with ORC has worked extremely well.”
Why ORC?
Asked what makes ORC a unique platform, Kinnanen points to the community behind it. “ORC and its international championships offer Garmin more than event visibility. They provide access to one of sailing’s most influential and technology-focused communities, where owners, navigators and performance sailors are actively investing in the products and solutions Garmin develops.”
The championships also give Garmin a real-world performance environment to showcase its technology. “Compared with many other sailing properties, ORC offers a stronger connection between participation, product relevance and commercial impact.”
Beyond the race course
In 2026, Garmin also became ORC’s official Digital Partner, with a presence on orc.org, in newsletters, on social media and in ORC Sailor Services, which owners, navigators and race teams use to explore certificates, compare boat configurations and access tools such as Speed Guides and Target Speeds.
“It is a way to support ORC and show the sailing community that Garmin is everywhere for them,” says Kinnanen.
Learning from real racing
The championships also give Garmin direct feedback from sailors. “Our role at competitions is to support both the organisation and the sailors. Close collaboration with sailing teams helps us understand the needs and conditions they face during long offshore races.”
On how crews use data, Kinnanen is clear: “There is a huge amount of data, and with Garmin equipment sailors can use just the right amount. Not too much, but still enough.” The Garmin Quatix smartwatch can help with race starts, and Garmin multifunction displays can be connected to Expedition navigation software, giving navigators weather and instrument data. If he had to pick one component for offshore racing, it would be the MSC 10 satellite compass, for precise heading data and easier calibration.
inReach for race tracking
Garmin’s inReach is best known for satellite messaging and SOS, but it also works as a race tracker together with TracTrac, ORC’s tracking partner, sending positions over the Iridium satellite network beyond the reach of mobile networks. At the Rauma Sea Race in Finland, TracTrac used inReach Messenger devices instead of LTE-based trackers. Sailors liked the solution, and shore teams could follow the boats throughout the race.
According to TracTrac’s Jakob Ødum, the Garmin enterprise account lets organisers manage the whole fleet remotely, including reporting intervals and battery levels. Like any satellite solution, it depends on good device placement and a clear view of the sky.
Copenhagen 2027
The next milestone is the Garmin ORC World Championship 2027, 6 to 14 August in Copenhagen, hosted by the Royal Danish Yacht Club, with around 1,000 sailors in four ORC classes. More information at orcworlds2027.com.
A good year
Garmin-equipped teams did well at the 2026 ORC European Championship in Klaipėda, including Garmin Team Pro4u (a modified First 36.7 sailed by Patrik Forsgren from Sweden) in Class C and Dixi 5 (Erik Stannow’s XR-41 from Denmark) in Class AB. For Kinnanen, one moment still stands out: “When Garmin Team Pro4u won the ORC Worlds 2025 in Tallinn, that was a stunning moment!”
For Garmin, the ambition is to become the leading marine electronics brand for sailing. For ORC, the partnership brings international competition, technical expertise and direct engagement with the sailors who form the heart of the sport.
