The VPP and the new 2020 version of the ORC Manager software has been distributed to the 35 Rating Offices that issue ORC International and ORC Club certificates around the world. This update will allow these offices to start issuing their new 2020 certificates according to their own needs and timelines, which for some is immediate: the first regatta of the year to use 2020 ratings is the Rolex Circuito Atlantico Sur 2020 in Argentina and Uruguay being held over 12-18 January, followed by the Ft Lauderdale - Key West Race one week later in Florida, USA. ORC racing in Spain is also active now.

The Rolex Circuito Atlantico Sur 2020 is the first to use the 2020 ORC Rules and ratings with an inshore and offshore race format.

The race to Key West will be the first of the year to use the new ORC Double Handed Certificate, specially developed to meet the demand for this growing trend in offshore racing. Double Handed certificates feature lower crew weights, a simple one-page layout, and a variety of simple scoring options available to race managers to better match the ratings with the course type.

The 2020 ORC Rules are available now for viewing and download at www.orc.org/rules, along with a summary of the changes from 2019. Among these are the following:

- boats with CDL

- ORC Continental Championships must now include 2 offshore/coastal races that are not discardable in addition to the inshore races, matching the criteria for the Worlds

- removal of Forward Accommodation and Jumper Stays effect on the VPP, removal of some obsolete measurements such as SPS, BAL, BWT, and CPW

- improved aerodynamic treatment of Headsails set Flying with SHW/SFL <75%, with a gradual rating transition from "Code Zero" headsails to small asymmetric spinnakers up to a ratio SHW/SFL of 85%.

- also improved are the VPP lift coefficients for various combinations of Headsails set Flying when listed in the sail inventory, and a requirement to list the measurements of all asymmetric spinnakers which have 75%< SHW/SFL < 85%, which are run one by one by VPP, not just the largest as it has been this far.

- multiple non-overlapping headsails are now allowed to be tacked on the bowsprit, on the headstay and between the mast and the headstay without having to maintain the clew of the outside sail aft of the inner ones.

The 2020 VPP has resulted in small changes - 85% of the fleet has +/- 0.5% GPH change and 96.5% is within +/- 1% - in rated speed for most of the >2000 boats in the ORCi test fleet, so CDL definitions of class divisions in the Continental and World Championships have also changed for 2020 to:

Class A: 16.40 >= CDL > 11.59
Class B: 11.59 >= CDL > 9.77
Class C: 9.77 >= CDL > 8.56

The 2020 ORC European Championship in Capri will use not only CDL limits for the ORCi fleet, but will also feature an ORC DH Class in the Tres Golfi Race - photo courtesy Rolex Capri Sailing Week

Among the many 1000's of boat types that receive ORCi or ORC Club certificates, ORC also offers standard certificates for boats from one-design classes that are in their class trim. This year the list of these classes has expanded to 45 one-designs eligible for these certificates.

Access to the 2020 ORC VPP is also now available in the ORC's public portal to the rating system, ORC Sailor Services, where free certificate copies, test certificates, polar performance Speed Guides and Target Speed outputs are all available after obtaining a free login credential at www.orc.org/sailorservices.

The 2020 ORC Super Yacht rule is also available now for over 100 sailing yachts >30 m in length that compete in races and regattas around the world. This delivery of the rule is in time for use at the first regatta on the ORCsy calendar: the 2020 Millennium Cup being held over 29 January - 1 February in Auckland, New Zealand.

The designer's version of the ORCsy VPP software (DVP) is available for new users for €1200, and for current DVP subscribers at the price of €840. More information is on the ORC Superyacht software page at www.orc.org/index.asp?id=206.

The ORC Multihull Rule project is still in progress, with a beta version of a VPP release expected in the coming months. Meanwhile the measurement platform for ORCmh has been completed, and several regattas are scheduled for scoring and analysis in the Winter and Spring season.

More on ORC rating systems, ORC certificates and events can be found at www.orc.org.