annapolis yacht club going all-in on orc

Three years after integrating the internationally recognized rating rule into many of its signature events, AYC is giving ORC more prominent recognition.

At the recommendation of the Sailing Committee and with the support of the Commodore, Annapolis Yacht Club has unveiled several new initiatives that recognize the increased interest and success of the Offshore Racing Congress rule.

Commodore Jonathan Bartlett is pleased to announce that ORC will now be offered as part of Annapolis Yacht Club’s popular Wednesday Night Racing series beginning with the 2020 season. This action was taken at the request of Bobby Frey, longtime Event Chairman and Principal Race officer for WNR.

Frey intends to provide ORC and PHRF divisions and will allow the market to determine the number of classes for each.

“AYC has been using ORC for other events over the last few years with positive feedback from owners,” Frey said. “Considering the growing satisfaction with ORC, we feel it is important to provide that opportunity as part of Wednesday Night Racing. I hope this move will further increase our handicap class participation.”

ORC has also been adopted for the Annapolis Labor Day Regatta, which will be celebrating its seventh season in 2020. ORC will replace PHRF as the handicap rating rule for the ALDR, although organizers do anticipate including a PHRF Non-Spinnaker class.

Ben Capuco, AYC’s member liaison for the ORC Class and the owner of Zuul, an Aerodyne 38, fully supports the move to ORC.

“I am really happy that AYC is embracing the rule. It’s going to generate racing that is more fair, and as the fleet of competitors gets used to the rule, participation is going to increase. As light, high performance boats with asymmetric spinnakers have become more popular, the ability for other rules to fairly rate those boats against more traditional designs is almost impossible”

Annapolis Yacht Club is also pleased to announce that an overall ORC season champion will be recognized and presented with a prestigious trophy. AYC is rededicating the America Trophy for this special purpose and it will henceforth be awarded to the top scoring boat competing in ORC at the Club’s four annually run signature regattas: Spring Race to Oxford, Annual Regatta, Race to Solomons, and Fall Series.

The America Trophy was donated to the club by renowned yachtsman Al Van Metre, who campaigned a series of grand prix racing boats including Running Tide.

“This is one of our finest trophies currently not in use,” Commodore Bartlett said. “We felt creating a season-long ORC champion would return the America Trophy to its proper significance.”

ORC uses the International Measurement System as a platform for measurements of the hull, mast, and sails along with the ORC Velocity Prediction Program (VPP) to rate boats of different characteristics that affect their rated speed.

Annapolis Yacht Club is excited to announce that several other perpetual awards that were previously presented for IOR or IMS competition will be repurposed now that a similar science-based rating rule has been adopted.

AYC will present the Sherman Hoyt Trophy to the ORC Division winner of the Spring Race to Oxford. That trophy had been awarded as part of the Skipper Race and was retired in 1980 after that event ceased to exist.

Charles “Sherman” Hoyt served as chief advisor to Harold Vanderbilt for multiple America’s Cup campaigns. He was a member of the Tred Avon Yacht Club, which is the Co-Organizing Authority for the Spring Race to Oxford along with Annapolis Yacht Club.

AYC is also reestablishing the Pavana Trophy, another traditional award from the Skipper Race. It was donated by Corrin Strong, first president of the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association and the U.S ambassador to Norway.

The Pavana Trophy will now be presented to the ORC Division winner of the Fall Race to Solomons.

Finally, the Fred W. Carlson Trophy is also being rededicated having been retired in 1989 after being previously awarded for the IOR Class. Since WNR will now feature an ORC Division in 2020, it is fitting for the Fred W. Carlson Trophy to be brought back into circulation.

“With these moves we are further solidifying ORC as the handicap rule of choice for Annapolis Yacht Club,” said John White, chairman of the Sailing Committee.

Annapolis Yacht Club will host an ORC Seminar on Saturday, February 1 (10 a.m.-noon) at the Sailing Center. Dobbs Davis, Communications Director for ORC and the US Sailing-certified measurer for this region, will conduct the seminar.

Davis will focus on the measurement and certification process and guide attendees through the process of applying for an ORC certificate. He will also provide a brief overview of the upcoming ORC/IRC World Championship regatta being held off Newport in late September since several Annapolis-area sailors plan to compete.

The ORC Seminar will be open to AYC members and non-members and is free of charge. Call the AYC Front Desk to register: 410-263-9279.