The Road to the ORC World Championship Goes Through Three Major Newport Regattas
With two weeks left until the first gun, the New York Yacht Club’s 170th Annual Regatta is nearing record numbers in terms of participation. The entry list currently stands at 139 boats, with 39 registered to compete under the ORC rating rule. There are a few reasons for the surge, with one of the biggest being the emphasis on ORC competition in advance of the 2024 ORC World Championship, scheduled for Newport in early fall.
“After a lot of years racing larger boats, I started racing a J/70 a few years ago and I enjoy the competition in the 70 fleet,” says Al Minella, who will skipper the J/112e The ROCC (above, far right) in the ORC World Championship. “But, when I saw that the ORC Worlds were coming to Newport, I wanted an ORC boat. I’ve owned several J Boats through the years. I specifically wanted a J/112e because of its performance under ORC.”
Minella hasn’t given up the J/70. In fact, he’ll race the J/70 World Championship in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in mid-September and then zip across the Atlantic to compete in the ORC World Championships less than a week later.
Since 1969, the Offshore Racing Congress has been a world leader in providing a scientific and transparent rating system used to create fair racing among a broad variety of boat types, from sportboats to superyachts. Since 1999, ORC has organized annual ORC World Championships and other inshore and offshore racing events sanctioned by World Sailing, with recent events attracting over 100 entries from dozens of countries around the world. The 2024 ORC World Championship will be held in Newport, R.I., and hosted by the New York Yacht Club. Registration and measurement starts on September 27, with racing kicking off on Monday, September 30, and finishing on Saturday, October 5. The ORC World Championship is sponsored by Helly Hansen, Safe Harbor Marinas, Peters & May and Hammetts Hotel. The ORC World Championship will serve as the culmination of the Road to the 2024 ORC World Championship series, which will encompass four regattas in Newport, R.I., from June through October.
