ORC Scoring for HKPN Boats
Dear HKPN boat skippers:
The Hebe Haven Yacht Club (HHYC) is delighted to introduce the ORC Club rating system to HKPN boats and conduct trial runs at some of the Club's upcoming races.
The initial plan is to run a set of ORC results parallel to the HKPN results for the HKPN division in the Monsoon Spring Series 2023. Consequently, if it is well received, the Club may form an ORC Club division in the Summer Saturday Series and/or Typhoon Series.
To maximise the efficacy of the trial it is preferable that all boats in the HKPN Class are included in the dual scoring.
Boats can make application at www.orc.org/clubapplication. Assistance in this respect is available by signing up here or using the form at the bottom of this page. Applications should be made no later than Friday, 19 May 2023.
After the first trial, you will be asked to provide your feedback about the ORC system.
Seeing a constantly huge HKPN division racing at the club's race events, the HHYC Sailing Committee is keen on seeking an objective and fair rating system that encourages performance. The ORC Club rating system is a large measurement-based system serving thousands of boat types and over 9000 boat owners worldwide.
Below are some frequently asked questions for a better understanding of the system.
What is ORC Club?
Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) was founded in 1969 by the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Cruising Club of America to develop an international handicap standard: IOR. With advances in technology it led to IMS, and currently the ORC rating system. There are two Types of Certificate: ORC International and ORC Club. The ORC Club rating certificate requires less required measurements and this data can be declared by the owner or obtained from any other sources, including photos, drawings, designs or data from identical or similar boats.
Information on ORC Club can be found www.orc.org/index.asp?id=24
How much does it cost for acquiring an ORC certificate once it's officially required for racing?
To promote the trial ORC has offered to provide the first year ORC Club rating certificate free of charge to all boats. After that, the levy for an ORC Club rating certificate will cost about 50€ per year.
How to score?
ORC Club ratings can be either in the format of Time on Time (ToT) or Time on Distance (ToD), while it's our intention to use ToT for the scoring of most of our races. The Sailing Instructions of the concerned HHYC race event will specify which format will be used. On the other hand, the ORC Club rating also offers "Single Number" and other more advanced scoring options like "Triple Numbers". In our trial run, we will use "Single Number". Considering how the performance of different boat models vary on certain course types, the Sailing Instructions will also specify whether races will be scored using the "Windward / Leeward", or "All Purpose" single number ratings.
Ratings will be displayed on the ORC Certificate as: Sample
Under ToT, the corrected time is calculated as follows:
Corrected time = ToT * Elapsed time
How can I acquire a free ORC Club certificate for the trial?
Please send one of the follow to racing@hhyc.org.hk no later than Friday, 19 May 2023:
A completed ORC Club Certificate Application Form (see below)
An IRC certificate, if your boat has been measured and it has not changed at all since it was measured
What data is required for the ORC Club Certificate?
Data required includes:
rig and sails measurements
type of propeller
other general information like crew weight, displacement, hull structure etc.
If your boat has been measured for any rating rule system such as IRC and it has not changed at all since it was measured, you can just import the information from that certificate. Get your sail-maker to provide you the measurements of your largest main, head sail and spinnaker that you will plan to race with, and provide an estimate of the weight of your crew you plan to race with. If you don’t know and your crew weight will vary greatly, leave it blank.
