Royal Malta Yacht Club Hosts ITC Autumn Meeting 2025: Finalising the 2026 VPP

The International Technical Committee (ITC) of the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) will meet at the Royal Malta Yacht Club from October 10–12, 2025. This in-person gathering will be pivotal in shaping the 2026 Velocity Prediction Program (VPP) and other technical developments across ORC fleets.

Focus: Finalising the 2026 VPP

The main objective for the weekend is to finalise the VPP changes for 2026. The meeting opens with a review of submissions from Member National Authorities. While there are no proposed changes to the existing VPP force models, several submissions highlight the need for clarity on non-manual power systems including mast jacks, headstay adjustment systems, and sail control mechanisms.

Chairman's Outlook

"I'm looking forward to the meeting in Malta," says ITC Chairman Andy Claughton. "It's an opportunity to get around the table with ITC members after six months on Google Meet. The committee has been working hard on improvements to the VPPs and our data analysis tools—now is the time to knit the threads together for 2026."

Key Areas of Development

Although the ORCi VPP has reached a stable and successful configuration, significant updates are planned for both the ORCsy (SuperYacht) and ORCmf (Multihull) VPPs. These updates are the result of close collaboration with their respective fleets throughout the year.

Weather Routing Scoring (WRS): Improving the Offshore Racing Experience

The committee will also review the performance of Weather Routing Scoring (WRS), which has now been successfully applied in nearly a hundred offshore races. The analysis will focus on improving the race experience for both race organisers and competitors. WRS has demonstrated that when handicapping is based on forecasted conditions, many concerns about VPP accuracy are effectively addressed.

Join the Meeting Online

The meeting will be hosted at the Royal Malta Yacht Club, and observers are welcome to attend remotely. Registration is required and can be completed via the following link: https://forms.gle/z52FeAt9zzYVueRx5

Agenda, schedule, and access details will be shared with registered observers ahead of the meeting.

09:30 Meeting starts 
11:15 Coffee break
11:30 Resume meeting
13:00 Lunch break
14:00 Resume meeting
15:45 Coffee break
18:00 Meeting closes (16:00 on Sunday 12 Oct)

Follow the Outcomes

Stay tuned for updates and outcomes from Malta as the ITC works toward refining the future of offshore yacht racing.