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The longstanding stranglehold PHRF (Performance Handicap Racing Fleet) holds over PNW handicapping may be waning as ORC (the acronym goes back to Offshore Rating Congress) rises. I’ve thought this, and been wrong, before. This time there appears to be a groundswell of support from owners of smaller boats.

There are a couple of elements at work, the difficulties and frustration with PHRF and the growing international acceptance of ORC as the common measurement rule and handicapping system.

Earlier this year, three custom boats hulls were scanned – a prerequisite for custom boats or those not in the ORC database. It’s part of a big new push to give ORC handicapping a foothold in the smaller boat classes. For years the “big boats” have been racing under ORC while the smaller and slower boats have held fast with PHRF. More boats will be measured in April.  

It may help that the Head Measurer for US Sailing is none other than the rigger Chris Tutmark, who has rigged (and measured) many PNW racing boats over the last few decades.

I asked Alex Simanis of Ballard Sails, Nigel Barron of CSR Marine and Chris Tutmark (all instrumental in promoting ORC) to share some thoughts.

Alex Simanis

I think many current PHRF members are seeking a new rating alternative. While I am not an expert in the ORC world, I am becoming more and more educated in the process of obtaining a cert, and the processes for different boats to get them.

My 26-footer Pell Mell has been fully inclined, measured, weighed, and now has been scanned in anticipation of applying for an ORCi (fully measured cert). Most big races on the west coast require a fully measured ORR or ORC cert, and with our level of participation in events outside of Puget sound coming up in the next few years it is a no- brainer.

The fact of the matter is that PHRF is a blunt instrument, and the ratings in the PNW have become very skewed compared to other parts of the country. The current leadership does not  seem very interested in looking at actual deltas between boats, or even observed performance. 

There are also a number of loopholes in the PHRF NW rule book that they seem reluctant to close. 

An ORC rating is actually based in science. The ORC organization spends a lot of money annually getting their VPP programs updated, and they continually revise rules and guidelines for ratings.

One thing that I have felt for years is that there is no way to rate boats on a single number system. Some boats perform very linearly, some do not. I do believe that when boats have been fully measured, and race committees do a good job of administering the system, it should be a more fair system for a wide range of boats, across a wide range of conditions. 

It seems like each rating band has an owner or a few owners rara-ing the ORC movement. 

The big boats have been racing under ORC club for a few years now. Now, the +/- 18 raters are getting massive interest.

We had Moonshine, Pell Mell, and Scheme (Pyramid 30) hull scanned These super custom boats needed the hull files for ORC to work with.

In the United States, US Sailing is  the authority in making ORC Certs, and in charge of administering the rule. After a great chat with Chris Tutmark last week, who is now the US sailing head measurer, he informed me that applying through US sailing is super simple and a one stop shop for ORC/ ORR ratings. You will have to apply, and input data that you have. US Sailing may require more data, depending on the level of rating required.

It is my understanding that most well known production boats already have hull files. So that part will be easy. The weight, inclines and other measurements need to be done by an approved measurer. Chris Tutmark is working with a few local people to get them up to speed on measuring. There will be a big round of measuring/training coming up in April.

For each boat there are multiple ratings, for buoy racing, random leg, and off wind. These are driven by average wind strength chosen by the race committee. There are different ways of coming to this.

As for worldwide acceptance, it seems like ORC is especially taking hold in Europe. 

On the east coast, there are a growing number of certificates, and many more events are using this rule, right down to evening beer can races. On the West Coast, St. Francis YC has agreed to adopt the rule for their major events including the Rolex Big Boat series. Van Isle 360 requires ORC. Overall, it seems like this is here to stay.

PHRF will likely always be around. it is good for local beer cans, etc. The reality is that PHRF does not have tools that measurement based rules do.  

Nigel Barron

The issue I see with PHRF is that it was a rule designed long before boats could get up on a plane.  As Alex says, it’s a single number system so can’t account for how those boats react in different conditions.  ORC is gaining momentum.  Really the last major races on the West Coast that use anything other than ORC are Transpac, Pacific Cup and Cabo San Lucas.  All are California races, hanging on with their last death grip to their rule (ORR – Offshore Racing Rule).  Royal Victoria’s Vic-Maui Race uses ORC.

Additionally, PHRF has a habit of adjusting ratings and considering that rating change in vacuum without consideration of what it does to the boats around or in the same relative range.

One of the biggest things holding back ORC implementation in Seattle is the aversion of certain yacht clubs to do anything to help it or to score it correctly.  For many years, Corinthian Yacht Club used the GPH number on the certificate in spite of the fact that it clearly states, do not use this number – it’s only for class breaks.  CYC still, even now with the Center Sound Series insists on using only the ToT All-Purpose Medium number.  SYC will use the triple number system and uses the appropriate wind range.  CYC, by doing this, negates all the advantages of having a multi-number rating system.

Getting a certificate is relatively simple.  It gets a little more complicated for a one-off design or boat that has had a lot of modifications.  Truly the best part for me is the idea that you can’t have an argument with an inanimate object.  You put data in, and a rating comes out.  That’s it.  No politics, no consideration as to how it fits in a fleet, just a number.

Chris Tutmark

I had been working as a local measurer since 2017 for the measurement rules, both ORC and ORR. In the PNW ORR is not used but races in CA do use ORR. The prior Head Measurer reached out to me when he decided to retire a little over a year ago. I interviewed for the position in Mid-April and my first day was May 1. I split time working in the office and remotely until I could relocate to RI in August.

There are three of us in the Offshore office; Jim Teeters who is head of the office, Sydney Hough and me. We support all handicap systems in use by US boats; ORC, ORR, IRC and PHRF.  In regard to numbers, in 2022,  we issued close to 1000 ORC certificates, just over 300 ORR certificate and a smaller number of IRC certificates for US boats racing in Europe, the Caribbean and Australia. As 2022 was a Newport-Bermuda year we expect a slight downturn in ORR certificates for 2023 with ORC continuing to expand in North America.  Some areas have or are expanding ORC for weeknight and more casual racing. Annapolis added ORC for weeknight racing in 2022, Detroit is planning to do this in 2023 and clubs in San Diego are also looking into this.

A part of my job is to give the local measurers the tools/skills to get boats measured in their areas. In the PNW, my departure created a gap in the coverage so my trip there in April will be to work with some people who have expressed interest in becoming measurers as well as getting boats measured which need to be measured. Most of these are custom or semi-custom boats where sistership data is not available or the boat is different from sisterships. For production boats the process is very quick to get a rating, should a boat want to be directly measured, this can be arranged, and that data will be applied for that boat’s rating.

For those boats who need an ORC certificate, the first step is on the US Sailing ORC page https://www.ussailing.org/competition/offshore/orc/ On the page is large red button to “Start your 2023 ORC Application” https://www.ussailing.org/competition/offshore/orc/#application which takes the sailor to a list of items to have handy for the application.  If someone has questions or runs into difficulties with the application, they can always reach out to us in the office offshore@USsailing.org or me directly christutmark@ussailing.org.  This offer also applies to YCs/OAs which may have questions on scoring or how to use the variety of ratings that are produced on an ORC certificate. As part of my trip to the PNW we are also looking at doing a presentation- Q&A  session in Seattle, details are still being finalized. (Ed. Note: We’ll share those details when they’re available)

With a full staff in the offshore office and our new application form, we are looking forward to 2023 and helping sailors get their certificates.

My Thoughts

The problem with PHRF coincides with its strength, flexibility. PHRF evolved as an inexpensive handicapping system that could rate disparate boats for the predominant conditions in a given area. With enough data, interpreted by experienced handicappers, this would be perfect. And it served its purpose, to a degree, for decades.

Problems with PHRF are well known, but in my opinion, they come down to one simple element – the human factor. Handicappers are human, and humans (whether they know it or not) are susceptible to preconceptions, prejudices and mis-information. 

Competitive sailors are also human. When they fail to compete effectively, they seek a reason. In one-design, it all basically comes down to the sailors themselves, how they prepared themselves and the boat and how they sailed. In handicapped racing, it’s much the same – the sailors are responsible for boat preparation and decisions on the race course.

But then there’s the additional element of  handicapping. The key here is perception of fairness. Usually a “wrong” handicap doesn’t affect results too much – an unfair rating might mean a place or two. However, the competitive sailor goes directly to the reason why they didn’t win. If the non-winners feel they’ve been unfairly penalized, or that the competition has been given a “gift” rating, it’s hard for them to feel good about the racing. If a winner senses their competitors feel he/she has a gift rating, winning doesn’t feel so good. These feelings abound after racing, especially close racing, and if there’s even a hint of human error in the rating (which in PHRF is all the time) the discussion focuses on that.

Then there’s the chance to protest one’s own or one’s competitor’s rating by presenting to a roomful of handicappers. This “opportunity” has caused untold stress for anyone involved and left countless friendly competitor relationships in tatters.

For some, this whole fairness thing doesn’t matter much to their enjoyment. They’re happy to be on the water in the company of other boats, and if there’s a victory involved it’s a bonus. But for the more competitive sailor, the sense of fairness means a lot.

Measurement rules are not panaceas. Problems always arise and ratings often seem unfair. But at least the system gets blamed and not Joe Handicapper or that skipper who wrote a 200-page legal brief to get their rating changed. A measurement system makes it much easier to toast one’s competitors back at the club.