Following publication of Mark Mansfield’s article on the pros and cons of IRC and ORC in Irish cruiser racing, the response from the sailing community has been swift, thoughtful, and wide-ranging. Many racers echoed Mark’s call for balance and fairness in rating systems, while others added personal insights and suggestions.
One of the most detailed responses came from Paul Bradley, a regular competitor in Dublin Bay Cruiser One racing, who offered this perspective:
"If IRC paid a little bit more attention to looking into their rating system and how it favours some boats substantially more than others, then an alternative rating system such as ORC may never have been pursued. Well-prepared and well-sailed boats will generally all rise to the top of the cream, and I have no issue with that, but it’s the margins they can win by that is the unfair part... Agreed, we need to be attracting more sailors and boats into our sport, but some of these favoured boats are pushing some owners and crew out of classes altogether. Which begs the question: ‘if it’s broken, it needs to be fixed’."
Other strong comments came via Facebook:
Brendan Foley wrote:
“It seems to me one of the major loopholes in IRC is that you can buy an old IOR style boat getting the age allowance—yet pimp it up to modern racing standards... Main thing is we need to stop the decline in handicap racing—CR2 and CR3 have essentially collapsed in Dublin Bay.”
Richard Colwell added:
“The clamour for change tends to come from boats that think they would do better under a new system. While those doing well want to keep IRC... The ICRA is effectively funded by IRC cert purchases—what happens if this is removed?”
Laurence Mead warned of overcomplication:
“ORC is super complicated... It's impossible [to follow], at least until the Race Officer tells you what wind strength and wind angle he is basing the results on... We make this sport much too complicated. It’s meant to be fun.”
Michael Evans concluded:
“It will be unfair to owners who have invested in yachts which suit the current rating. Two systems side-by-side leads to ‘who won the regatta?’”
Overall, the reaction underscores the need for transparency, fairness, and accessibility in whatever system prevails. The debate is far from over—but contributions like these are helping steer it in a constructive direction.
