All systems go for ORC in 2026

With lingering issues from the 2025 Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) annual meeting, the rating system unanimously approved a refined update to the 2026 Velocity Prediction Program (VPP) following an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on January 29.

The EGM, attended by 40 Congress members, considered two agenda items: ratification of Submission USA 13 (2025) concerning age allowance, and approval of the ITC’s refined proposal for the 2026 ORCi VPP. Both items were approved unanimously.

The 2026 VPP update addresses a specific limitation identified in the existing resistance model affecting a small number of modern yacht designs, particularly hulls with higher cross-sectional area characteristics.

Following the mandate agreed by Congress at the 2025 AGM in Dublin, ORC’s International Technical Committee (ITC) undertook this focused technical review.

The work combined analysis of measured performance data with more than 1,000 new CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations, aimed at improving the prediction of residuary resistance in this design space. The outcome is a refined interim solution for 2026 — referred to as a speed-sensitive parameter cap of variable parameters — that is designed to improve proportionality across wind ranges while avoiding disruptive rating swings between seasons.

“This was a complex situation for our technical teams to resolve on a short timeframe, yet we are proud of how the ITC worked closely with the technical team at X-Yachts,” reports Bruno Finzi, Chairman of ORC.

Andy Claughton, Chairman of the International Technical Committee adds,  “This was not about forcing a result, but about understanding the physics better. By combining real performance data with extensive CFD analysis, we were able to refine how the VPP behaves in a very specific area.”

X-Yachts, which prompted the review after the XR-41 dominated the 2025 World Championship, was satisfied that the technical questions raised after the Dublin AGM have been addressed thoroughly and in line with the agreed mandate, and finds this to be a workable step for 2026.

According to ORC, the approved VPP update affects only a very small number of yacht models and has no impact on the vast majority of boats racing under ORC certificates. Together with the ratification of the extended age allowance, the decisions taken at the EGM support both competitive balance and fleet diversity.

National rating offices can now issue 2026 certificates with the finalization of the 2026 ORC VPP.

Details: www.orc.org