ORC Calls Extraordinary General Meeting to Uphold Principles of Fairness and Transparency

6 January 2026 - The Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) has officially issued a notice for an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), scheduled for January 29, 2026, at 1700 UTC. Conducted via teleconference, this meeting is a vital component of the ORC’s commitment to maintaining a fair, open, and transparent rule-making process. The Congress will address two remaining issues from the Annual Meeting held in Ireland in November.

By bringing together Congressmen from all member nations, the ORC ensures that its governance remains a collaborative effort, reflecting the interests of the global sailing community. In accordance with ORC governance principles, every member of the Congress is requested to attend this session. To ensure full representation, any member unable to attend may have their Nominating Body appoint an alternate or provide a proxy to another nominated Member. These measures ensure that every member nation has a voice in the decision-making process.

The business of the EGM will focus on key technical and procedural updates to ensure the continued accuracy and equity of ORC ratings in 2026 and beyond:

• Ratification of submission US 13 (2025): This concerns the decision regarding age allowance
• 2026 VPP Vote: The Congress will vote on a refined proposal from the International Technical Committee (ITC) for the 2026 Velocity Prediction Program (VPP)

As directed by Congress, the ITC have worked on the tuning of the 2026 ORCi VPP to confirm the treatment for boats whose hull shape parameters lie outside the reliable range of the resistance force model. The ITC will seek Congress's approval for a revised set of parameter limits that provides a more equitable handicap table versus the entirety of the fleet. This effort protects all competitors in the fleet. This is also a more reliable step towards the 2027 VPP, which will implement a new resistance force model that covers a much wider parameter space.

More information and documentation will, of course, be provided ahead of the EGM.

Notice of Extraordinary General Meeting of the Offshore Racing Congress