Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) Sets Bold Agenda for 2025: Innovation, Growth, and Sustainability
28 November 2024 - The Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) concluded its 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Singapore with a clear vision for the future. Building on growth and key achievements in 2024, ORC has set ambitious goals for 2025, focusing on innovation, sustainability, and global expansion.
2024: A Year of Milestones
With over 14,176 certificates issued—representing a 3.5% increase in boats—ORC reinforced its position as the global leader provider of VPP and rating services. Growth was especially strong in markets like the USA, Greece, Turkey, and South America. Events like the ORC World Championship in Newport, USA, showcased ORC’s expanding global footprint.
"2024 was a pivotal year," said ORC Chairman Bruno Finzi. "We’ve demonstrated that ORC is the leader in fair, competitive, and innovative yacht racing worldwide."
Key Priorities for 2025
As ORC moves into 2025, the organization has identified four strategic pillars:
1. Innovation
Enhancements to the Velocity Prediction Program (VPP), Sailor Service and Weather Routing Scoring (WRS) will ensure even greater accuracy and fairness across all yacht types.
2. Sustainability Leadership
Championship hosts will now require sustainability plans, aligning ORC with global initiatives
3. Global Growth
ORC aims to grow significantly the numbers of certificates in new territories and markets, and strengthen its presence in existing markets
4. Digital Transformation
Upgrades to the Sailor Services platform, which engages over 50,000 unique users annually, will improve accessibility and user experience.
Looking Ahead: The 2025 Championship Calendar
The upcoming season includes marquee events like the ORC World Championship in Tallinn, Estonia (August 8-16) and the inaugural ORC North American Championship in Chicago, USA (August 6-10), highlighting ORC’s expanding global reach.
A Modern ORC
ORC is committed to shaping the future of sailing through real-time scoring, innovative measurement tools, and a growing sense of community among sailors.
"Our mission is to modernize and inspire," said Thomas Nilsson, chairman of the ORC Promotion and Development Committee.
Get Involved
ORC invites partners and stakeholders to join its mission. Whether through collaboration on sustainability, technology, API exchanges, partnership cooperations, or event sponsorship, there are numerous opportunities to engage with the global sailing community.
For the Minutes of the 2024 Offshore Racing Congress, see here.
For the ORC Annual Report 2024, click here.
