IRC RULES

Following the international IRC annual Congress meeting in October the 2022 IRC rule text is now published online.

The new rule text includes the following changes agreed by Congress: Stored power (auto pilots) for steering is prohibited unless permitted by the relevant notice of race (rule 15.2); IRC measurement condition for boat weight now explicitly includes permanently installed renewable energy features such as solar panels etc. (rule 17.1); and a spar used as a whisker pole to set a headsail or flying headsail only requires declaration if used to leeward (rule 21.3.6). The 2022 IRC rule applies from 1st January 2022, except in countries with June-May validity where the rule will apply from 1st June 2022.

A proposed rule change from Australia to allow a boat to hold two concurrent valid certificates for different configurations was agreed in principle. A pilot scheme will be developed to be tested in Australia and other southern hemisphere countries during 2022, with a view to worldwide rollout if it proves successful.

2022 IRC Rule text and more information about the rule changes:
https://ircrating.org/irc-rule/

Full IRC Congress 2021 Minutes and other associated documents: https://ircrating.org/about/irc-congress/