ORC and X‑Yachts Begin Technical Review of XR41 VPP Rating

8th December 2025

Afloat.ie Team

The ORC Congress AGM 2025 was held in Dun Laoghaire in November Credit: Piret Salmistu

ORC and X‑Yachts have opened a joint technical review of the XR41 rating under the upcoming 2026 Velocity Prediction Program (VPP).

The review follows a rating dispute involving the XR 41 that raised eyebrows within the ORC community.

The controversy follows an Offshore Racing Congress decision to apply a unique 10-second-per-mile penalty to the X-Yachts model after its dominant 2025 season.

The review aims to ensure “a fair, accurate and scientifically robust rating system” going forward.

A coordinated process is now under way. It includes a joint review of XR41 performance data and new CFD studies by X‑Yachts’ naval architect. External experts, including KND, will carry out independent analysis.

The review also involves systematic mapping of the model’s domain to pinpoint any structural gaps. Parameter limits within the VPP will be re‑assessed based on scientific evidence — not on isolated regatta results.

“VPP must remain a scientific model — and science is not negotiable,” the two parties state.

They stress that any changes to the 2026 VPP will rely on validated data and transparent methodology. They reject adjustments driven by stakeholder pressure or individual event outcomes.

The review underlines the need for open communication, strong governance, and impartial technical committees. Innovation in yacht design will continue to be assessed through consistent, science‑based criteria.

Once the analyses are complete and verified, ORC will publish a full technical report. The findings — and any proposed changes — will then go before the ORC Congress, the body responsible for approving VPP modifications.

ORC and X‑Yachts say they remain committed to cooperation, technical integrity, and fair competition for all sailors.

More here

Published in ORC

Tagged under

About The Author

Afloat.ie Team

Email The Author

Afloat.ie is Ireland's dedicated marine journalism team.

Have you got a story for our reporters? Email us here.

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven't put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full-time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.

You might also want to read...

About the ORC Handicap System and Its Use in Ireland

The ORC (Offshore Racing Congress) handicap system is a measurement-based rating rule used to create fair competition between sailing yachts of different designs. Rather than relying on performance data alone, ORC ratings are calculated from detailed measurements of each yacht’s hull shape, rig, sails and stability. These measurements generate a Velocity Prediction Program (VPP) model, which estimates how fast the boat should sail in various wind strengths and angles. Race results are then corrected using one of several scoring options, such as Time-on-Time or Time-on-Distance, aiming to reward crew performance rather than inherent design advantages.

In recent years, there has been exploration in Ireland toward broader adoption of the ORC system, particularly ORC International (ORCi) and ORC Club certificates.

Clubs on both east and south coasts have explored ORC as an alternative or complement to the IRC rating rule, which has traditionally dominated Irish handicap racing. In 2025, events such as the D2D Race and Calves Week trialled ORC scoring or dual-scoring with IRC to ease the transition.

The move is driven by a desire for transparency, international alignment and access to the robust technical framework that ORC offers. Some Irish sailors are asking for consistency with European events where ORC is already well established.