Entries open for 2015 ORC Championship events

Real Club Nautico de Barcelona, venue for the 2015 ORCi World Championship. ORC Media

Pärnu, the official Summer Capital of Estonia. © ORC Media

Milan, Italy - The Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) is pleased to announce that final approvals by national authorities have been made so that the Notices of Race and the entry process is now open for the 2015 ORCi World Championship in Barcelona, the 2015 Volvo Estonia ORC European Championship in Parnu, Estonia and the 2015 ORC Sportboat European Championship at Lake Balaton, Hungary.

Over 27 June - 4 July 2015, the Real Club Nautico de Barcelona (RCNB) will host the 2015 ORCi World Championship from its base in Port Vell in the historic heart of the world-class city of Barcelona. Organizers anticipate this ISAF-sanctioned event to be extremely popular, so to retain a high level of quality both on the race courses and at the venue, a limit has been imposed of 120 boats eligible for Pre-Entry.

Invitations will be extended to Pre-Entries based on the yacht’s and its skipper's racing records, particularly in previous ORC Championships, as well as the chronological order received. No additional Pre-Entries will be allowed after the initial entry closing date of 15 May, but any Pre-Entries cancelled or not confirmed can be replaced from the waiting list the organizers will create for those not accepted at the initial entry closing date.

Registration fees for each class are at a discount for pre-entries until 15 February 2015, then they increase until 31 March, at which time they increase again until entries close on 15 May. Pre-registration is now available on the event website.

Three classes will be formed using the ORC's new CDL system of class divisions, with Class A entries being between 17.00 m and 11.60 m, Class B between 11.60 m and 9.70 m, and Class C being between 9.70 m and 8.50 m. Each class will have its own start and separate results will yield a World Champion in each class.

'This club is 140 years old, and we have a long history of hosting world-class racing. So we are very excited at having the ORC championship fleet come to Barcelona,' says Joaquin Barenys, Chairman of the Organizing and Events Committee of RCNB. 'We are going to have some new and innovative features to offer, such as a reliance on web-based solutions for registration, scoring, and other functions to make these processes fast and efficient. We think this will be a very popular regatta, and encourage all interested entries to pre-register early to be part of this great event.'

With its beautiful bay and beaches on the Baltic Sea, Pärnu is the official Summer Capital of Estonia and will be the host of the Volvo Estonia ORC European Championship held over 10-16 August 2015. Organizers from Pärnu Yacht Club and the ESS Kalev Yacht Club have been in the planning phases on this event for over a year already, and are ready to welcome a strong turnout of 70-80 entries from throughout Europe.

Class divisions will be using the same CDL system as described above for the World Championship, with three classes competing for each of three 2015 European Champion titles, except boats eligible to compete in Class C will have to be between 9.70 m and 8.00 m in the CDL scheme. Pre-Registration is open now at event website, with a discount on registration fees offered until 31 May 2015, then increased until 11 July, and then doubled from the early discount rate after 11 July.

'Pärnu has so much to offer visiting sailors,' says Jüri Sõber, Commodore of Pärnu Yacht Club. 'We welcome teams to come and experience the great sailing conditions, the excellent facilities of our club, and the warm hospitality of the town.' More information about Pärnu and its surrounding region can be found on the event website.

Balatonfüredi Yacht Club, Lake Balaton. © ORC Media

After a five-year hiatus, the ORC Sportboat European Championship has been revived with organizers from the Balatonfüredi Yacht Club hosting the event for 19-24 May 2015 in Balatonfüred, the touristic, cultural and sailing center of Lake Balaton, Hungary. The Balatonfüredi YC is one of the oldest sport clubs in Europe, dating back to 1867, and each year organizes numerous national and international regattas.

Entries to the ORC Sportboat European Championship must comply within the ORC Sportboat Class rules, which state the boats to be between 6.0 - 9.0 m in length, weigh less than 2.0 tons, have a displacement/length ratio in measurement trim (DSPM/LSM0^3) of less than 4.50, and have a crew which is at least 50% ISAF Group 1 (amateur) sailors.

'We are excited about hosting this championship, and invite all sport boats to come to Lake Balaton for what we expect to be a fantastic few days of racing,' said Gábor Csernussi of the Balatonfüredi YC. The NOR, entry information, and more details about the event can be found on the event website at event website. Entries received before 31 March 2015 are eligible for a €200 discount on the registration fee.

For more information on ORC and other ORC rules, classes and events, visit ORC.