ORC Ireland explains ORC Club system to Irish sailors

ORC Ireland held an information evening and simultaneous webinar to walk sailors through the ORC Club handicap system and how it will be used in practice as clubs prepare for the 2026 season. The event, convened by ORC convenor Fintan Cairns, aimed to show how certificate acquisition, scoring options, and day-to-day race management work under ORC Club and why the system matters for mixed fleets.

The briefing focused on practical steps race committees, owners, and helmspersons need to take. Attendees learned how to acquire or update an ORC Club certificate, the scoring permutations race organisers can choose, and how ORC Club applies measurement and rating data to produce results intended to be simple and fair across boats of different designs. The session also explained how ORC differs from average-based handicap systems and why those differences can produce more consistent results in mixed-fleet racing.

Interest in ORC across Irish clubs has been growing since trials in 2025, when several events ran dual-scoring with ORC and IRC to ease the transition. That experience, organisers said at the briefing, showed dual-scoring can reduce friction at regattas while crews and race officers get used to new workflows. Clubs that trialled both systems reported useful side-by-side comparisons of results and scoring setups, which helped committees decide whether to adopt ORC for particular divisions.

The immediate takeaway for sailors is administrative and tactical. Check whether your current certificate is valid for 2026 and arrange measurement or updates as needed to avoid last-minute issues at entry. Race officers should review scoring options ahead of fixture lists and communicate which scoring model they will publish. Boat owners and crews will want to factor how ORC Club handles measurement input into tuning and sail inventories ahead of key regattas.

For clubs, the event underlined that adopting ORC Club does not require complicated procedures: certificate acquisition has a clear pathway, scoring can be set to match local preferences, and practical race-day use mirrors familiar scoring workflows. Those considerations make ORC Club a workable alternative to average-based systems for clubs seeking fairness without excessive administrative burden.

As the 2026 season approaches, expect more clubs to use the 2025 dual-scoring experience as a roadmap when deciding whether to switch. Verify your certificate status now, coordinate with your club race team on scoring choices, and plan measurement appointments early so your crew is ready when the season starts.