Science. Governance. Fair Competition. - The ORC 2026 VPP Decision Explained

20 February 2026 - By Thomas Nilsson, ORC Congress Member, ManCom Member & Head of Communications

Before outlining the 2026 VPP decision, allow me a brief personal note.

I have served as a member of the ORC Congress since 2004, and in recent years as a member of the Management Committee (ManCom), serving on the board with responsibility as Head of Communications.

My perspective, however, is not only administrative.

For more than 25 years, I have worked as a sailmaker – most of that time as a partner and owner of North Sails Norway. I have raced professionally at the highest level, including 15 years as crew on HM King Harald of Norway’s Fram team, as well as alongside many of Norway’s leading offshore and one-design teams.

I have also served three terms as a member of the World Sailing Oceanic & Offshore Committee. Throughout my sailing career, I have competed in both one-design and offshore racing, earning medals at national and international level, including multiple World and National Championships.

In short: I have experienced our sport from the sail loft, from the cockpit, and from the governance table.

It is from this combined perspective – that of a professional sailor, an industry stakeholder, and a long-standing ORC leader – that I would like to explain the background, process, and reasoning behind the 2026 VPP decision.

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What ORC Is – and Why It Exists

At the heart of ORC lies one fundamental principle: #TheEqualChanceToWin.

ORC exists to ensure that vastly different racing yachts — in size, design, and performance characteristics — can compete fairly on the same race course. Through advanced VPP-based handicap systems, ORC serves sailors and race organisers in more than 45 countries and remains the world's largest measurement-based rating system.

As a World Sailing–recognized authority, ORC is responsible for establishing and maintaining international rating and classification standards. Through ORCi and ORC Club – building on the legacy of IMS – ORC provides a unified, science-based technical framework for fair competition worldwide.

Governance is transparent and democratic. Technical development and analysis are carried out by the International Technical Committee (ITC), while final decisions are taken by the ORC Congress through formal vote.

That distinction matters.

ORC does not “penalize” boats, designers, or builders. It refines predictive models when evidence shows parameters are operating outside their validated range. That is not politics. It is standard scientific methodology.

What Happened Before Dublin

Prior to the 2025 Annual General Meeting in Dublin, performance data indicated that a small number of modern hull designs were operating at the edge of what the existing VPP resistance model could reliably predict.

This was not unique to one boat, nor was it unexpected. Every predictive model has limits. Identifying those limits is part of responsible technical evolution in a science-based system.

At the AGM in Dublin, the ORC Congress formally mandated the ITC to:

• Analyze the XR41 case in detail
  
• Investigate whether the VPP was extrapolating beyond its validated domain
  
• Propose a technically sound and proportionate solution for 2026
  
• Ensure a stable transition toward a new resistance model planned for 2027
  

This mandate was democratically approved and recorded in the AGM minutes.

What Happened After Dublin

Following the AGM, the ITC undertook an extensive technical program, including:

• Analysis of real performance data
  
• More than 1,000 new CFD simulations
  
• Focused work on residual resistance prediction for modern hull forms
  

This work was conducted strictly within the Dublin mandate and in professional dialogue with X-Yachts, consistent with the joint statement agreed in December 2025.

The cooperation proved constructive and effective, reinforcing both the technical quality of the solution and confidence in the governance process.

What Was Actually Decided

At an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on 29 January 2026, the ORC Congress unanimously approved:

• A refined 2026 VPP update proposed by the ITC
  
• A calibrated and temporary “sliding cap” adjustment
  

This solution:

• Is not a penalty
  
• Does not impose a fixed seconds-per-mile adjustment
  
• Does not change past race results
  
• Does not single out one design
  

It ensures that boats are not artificially accelerated in 2026 only to be slowed down again in 2027, thereby preserving fairness, continuity, and credibility across seasons.

On Claims of Politics and National Bias

Some commentary has suggested that the decision was driven by political motives or national favoritism. These claims are unfounded.

ORC operates as an international organization with contributors and experts from many countries. Decisions are based on documented technical analysis, peer review, and democratic voting.

The unanimous outcome of the EGM reflects technical consensus — not national alignment.

Why Science Is the Core of ORC

What this case ultimately demonstrates is not weakness, but strength.

A potential limitation in a predictive model was identified.
It was investigated rigorously.
A science-based solution was developed.
It was debated openly.
It was approved unanimously through ORC’s democratic governance.

This is precisely how a measurement rule grounded in science is supposed to function.

Looking Ahead

The 2026 VPP is finalized and available to rating offices worldwide. It represents a stable and consistent step toward the fully updated resistance model planned for 2027.

ORC remains committed to transparency, technical integrity, and continuous improvement.

Debate is healthy.
But facts — and science — must remain the foundation of that debate.

Science is not just part of ORC.
It is the reason ORC exists.