Offshore Racing congress - canada

ORC Certificates

There are two levels of ratings under ORC: ORC-Club and ORC-International.  Both levels use the same measurement data and the same VPP, and can be scored together in any races.

ORC Club is designed for Club-level racing that can go up to national championship level and is simple for boat owners to obtain a rating.  For ORC-Club, measurement data can be accepted as declared by the owner or obtained from any other source, including photos, drawings, designs or data from identical or similar boats.  Sail measurements can come from sail design data, from one-design data, as measured by the sailmaker or measured by an ORC measurer.

ORC-International (ORC-i) is intended for use on World, Continental, Regional and National level as well as major international offshore races.  ORC-i is based on a complete boat measurement as defined in the International Measurement System (IMS), and includes hull, rig, sails, hydrostatics and stability measurements.

Due to better quality of measurement data, ORC-i ratings will provide a more accurate prediction of a boat's speed potential. Because the systems are compatible, it is very easy for an owner who has an ORC Club rating to upgrade to ORC-i – just contact the Rating Office to begin the process.

Additional information, including extensive documentation on the VPP, the ratings rules, measurement, and race management, are available at the ORC web-page, linked in the navigation menu.

Double-handed and non-spinnaker ratings

ORC provides double-handed and non-spinnaker ratings at no charge to current holders of ORC Club or ORC International certificates. ORC Canada requests that boats wishing to avail themselves of multiple certificates do so at the time of their application for their ORC Club or ORC International certificate. The ORC Ratings Systems rules sets out that a boat may enter an event with only one of the three ratings active.

For a double-handed rating, you can declare any combination of sails within your ORC sail inventory. For example, you may wish to declare your #3 as your maximum sized head sail. If you choose to do this, you need to insure that the sail dimensions are included in your ORC rating application. You can also include the dimensions in the comments section of a renewal application. When racing double handed your maximum declared sail will be the largest you can race with. Note that Asymmetric spinnakers with mid girths between 75% and 85% need to be declared and included within your inventory even if they are not your largest spinnaker.

ORC Club Ratings - Online Application

Using the link on the front page to the ORC-Club Online Application, you can enter the measurement data for the boat.  Basic rig data can be taken from brochures and sister ships or from sources like http://sailboatdata.com .  Sail measurements can be obtained from design data that the sailmaker has or from measurements made by the sailmaker.  If you want a certificate with the least amount of effort, you will need the dimensions for your main, largest genoa, and largest spinnaker.

Once the data is complete, you can submit the form.  The ORC Canada Rating Office will receive the application and will generate a Test Certificate for your review.

Once you are satisfied that the Test Certificate is complete, you will follow the Renewals and Payments link on the front page, fill in the basic personal and boat data and submit the form.  A payment page will displayed and you will be able to finalise the payment. When the Rating Office has received notice of payment, it will issue a Racing Certificate.  The boat data will now appear on ORC Sailor Services.

The Online Application process can take as little as 48 hours, depending on the quality of data and the completeness of the application form.  The IMS Measurement Guide explains the measurements needed. Please note Section G which has specific details regarding sail measurement which differ from standard World Sailing’s Equipment Rules of Sailing and from other rating systems such as PHRF and IRC

ORC-Club Ratings - Data File Application

ORC offers the IMS Editor software for free. This software is used by measurers to edit, store, and distribute IMS data. An owner, in conjuction with ORC measurers and sailmakers, can enter data directly into the IMS Editor.

Once the data is complete in the IMS Editor, you can submit the data file to the ORC Canada Rating Office by email, and the Rating Office will generate a Test Certificate for review.

Once you are satisfied that the Test Certificate is complete, you will follow the Renewals and Payments link on the front page, fill in the basic personal and boat data and submit the form.  A payment page will displayed and you will be able to finalise the payment. When the Rating Office has received notice of payment, it will issue a Racing Certificate.  The boat data will now appear on ORC Sailor Services.
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Status

ORC Canada is organised into Districts and Fleets. There are active Fleets in the British Columbia and Ontario Districts

Ontario District

The Lake Ontario IRC Fleet has elected to race under ORC for the 2021 season. In addition, with the Bayview Mackinac Race adopting ORC for 2021, we can expect more uptake on ORC outside of Lake Ontario

The Ontario District executives are:

Kevin Brown - District Chair. Kevin can be reached at can3005@aol.com

Adam Farkas - District Secretary and Treasurer. Adam can be reached at xoomer21@yahoo.com

John Crawley - District Measurer. John can be reached at jccrawley@gmail.com

Ontario District boats wishing to receive an ORC-Club certificate can do so by selecting the application button at the top of this page.
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BC District

The Vancouver Area Racing Council will continue to race Divisions 1 and 2 under ORC.

The Van Isle 360 Race will be raced under ORC rules. The dates have been set for 31 May - 14 June 2025.

Nova Scotia District

ORC is gaining popularity in Nova Scotia as clubs and events are looking to adapt the rating system.

Nova Scotia District boats wishing to receive an ORC-Club certificate can do so by selecting the application button at the top of this page.

If your club is interested in using ORC scoring or you wish to become measured for an ORC Club or ORC-International certification, contact Simon Reese at Simon@orc-canada.org

Status

Each Fleet or District may levy fleet fees. These fees are administered by the Fleet or District executive and not by ORC-Canada. Fleet fees can be paid through this website as noted below.

Lake Ontario Fleets

The Lake Ontario ORC Fleet will charge a $35.00 fleet fee. This fee is charged separately from the rating fee which ORC charges, and, as noted above, is administered by the fleet directly. The fleet fee provides for a number of services, including fleet promotions and marketing; technical support for owners, race organisers and managers; and for awards.

The Lake Ontario fleet executive will report on fleet finances at the end of the year.

To pay the fleet fees for the Lake Ontario Fleet, please select the button below, which will take you to the fleet's PayPal page.

BC Fleets

The BC District and Fleets do not charge a fleet fee. The Fleet is supported by sponsorship.

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2021

The Canadian ORC Fleet continues to grow. In British Columbia, the consistency between fleets in Washington and BC has allowed for better racing, and new fleets are adopting the system, contributing to growth. In Ontario, the IRC fleet has elected to adopt ORC as its rating system. This change will double the size of the ORC Canada Fleet.

Rating Office

The rating office for ORC-Canada continues with its work to provide ORC-Club and ORC-International certificates. Phil Barron is the ORC-Canada rating officer and the chief measurer. Ian Lloyd is the ORC Canada events officer, responsible for promotion of the ORC system and the development of new fleets in Canada.  Philip Haggerty is the ORC representative in Canada, and liaises with World Sailing. George Liu providing hull scanning services for the fleet. In Ontario, the ORC fleet is supported by Kevin Brown, Adam Farkas, and John Crawley.

There are five measurers in Canada who can measure a boat to ORC International standards. In addition to three members of the Rating Office in BC, ORC welcomes John Crawley as the Ontario District measurer, who brings a wealth of experience to the position, and Simon Reese as the Nova Scotia District measurer.

There are four measurers in Quebec who can measure to ORC Club standards: Alain Bergeron, Maxime Loiselle, Hugo Royer and Dave Savard.

ORC and ORC-Canada

The Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) is an international body responsible for the establishment and maintenance of rating and classification standards used to define offshore, coastal and inshore / course yacht racing handicap categories.

Along with the IMS, ORC International and ORC Club, the ORC is also the sole authority recognised by the World Sailing for the administration of the ORC Grand Prix Classes Rules and the co-related Regulations, measurement and classes, and has designated the ORC as the official body to hold the Offshore World Championships.

The ORC comprises a Congress and Officers, Chief Measurers and Rating Offices. It has Committes related to measurement, technical matters, events, race management, rating, events and promotions, and the Offshore Special Regulations..

ORC-Canada is responsible for the carriage of the ORC in Canada.  The Canadian Rating Office was launched in 2017. In Canada, ORC is organised into Districts and Fleets. There are active Districts and Fleets in British Columbia and Ontario.  The Quebec District has been inactive since 2018 and there is some interest in establishing fleets in the Atlantic District, centred in Halifax.

Chief Rating Officer - Philip Barron is responsible for ratings and measurement.  Philip can be reached at ratings@orc-canada.org.

Chief Events Officer -  Ian Lloyd is responsible for promotion of ORC in Canada as well as for the development of new fleets.  Ian can be reached at events@orc-canada.org.

ORC Representative and Member of Congress - Philip Haggerty Weisse is the ORC representative in Canada and is the Canadian Congress member.  Philip can be reached at congress@orc-canada.org.

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For more information, please contact us at info@orc-canada.org