Please select your home edition
Edition
Selden 2020 - LEADERBOARD

Two Rolex winners in ORC classes at the Rolex Big Boat Series

by Offshore Racing Congress 20 Sep 2022 08:48 PDT
Big Boat Series - Crowded starts were a feature of ORC Class B racing © Rolex / Daniel Forster

After seven races sailed over four days on breezy San Francisco Bay, there are two new skippers who are wearing Rolex watches for winning their ORC classes in the St Francis Yacht Club's Rolex Big Boat Series.

On impressive scores of 1-1-2-1-4-1-3, Paul Dorsey's Carkeek 40 ADJUDICATOR team from San Diego YC (shown below) won the St Francis Perpetual Trophy, the oldest trophy in the event, first awarded when the regatta began in 1964 and annually presented to the winner of the "premier handicap division," this year being ORC Class A.

Scott Easom's J/100 EIGHT BALL team (shown below) earned a convincing victory in ORC Class B on scores of 1-2-1-1-1-4-1 against all larger yachts in her class. The team was awarded the Atlantic Perpetual Trophy, a bell from the schooner Atlantic that in 1905 sailed a transatlantic course record that stood of nearly 100 years, and Easom a Rolex timepiece.

"I've talked to people I know who travel the world for sailing and they think highly of ORC, said Easom. I've been studying the results from ORC racing in Europe and I like the results and the boats that are winning. A lot of production boats seem to be doing well, which is good for the sport."

ORC scoring was based on three course models custom-crafted to condense the matrix of wind angles and speeds into single-number TCC's. These included a 50-50 Windward-Leeward model, a 60-40 model (3 beats and 2 runs), and a SF Bay tour model based on the geometry of the final day's single long race. Each course type was calculated for a Medium and Heavy mix of wind speeds, so race managers could select the model that best matched the conditions of the race.

For the first three days these conditions were the classic seabreeze that builds from 12 knots at midday to over 20 knots in the afternoon, with the Medium and Heavy scoring models selected for use by race managers.

The last day's unusual southerly brought rain squalls and blustery breeze, and prompted a recalculation of the traditional "Bay Tour" race course model to reflect the new wind direction.

Corrected times were close in both classes: for example, in a 50-50 race scored in Medium conditions on the second day of racing, the top 7 boats - the top 2 from the Class A performance boats and the top 5 from the Class B cruiser/racers - finished within 2 minutes in corrected time on the same 10.3 mile course. This is encouraging news for organizers who may consider the option of distilling overall winners from multiple class results.

"We feel the ORC system worked well," said Regatta Chair Susan Runhe. "We appreciate the help from ORC and US Sailing to build the models and scratch sheets, and be on hand to advise our Race Committee and competitors on how to use the system for fair racing."

Summary of top-three cumulative scores in the ORC classes:

Class A

1 ADJUDICATOR Carkeek 40 1-1-2-1-4-1-3 13 points
2 ARSENAL J/125 4-4-4-2-1-2-1 18
3 KUAI Melges 32 3-2-3-3-2-3-2 18

Class B

1 EIGHT BALL J/100 1-2-1-1-1-4-1 11 points
2 PEREGRINE J/120 1-1-6-4-3-1-2 19
3 CHANCE J/120 4-3-3-5-2-3-4 24

More information and complete results can be found on the event website.

Related Articles

Uber ORC C at 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE Preview
Seven nationalities and more than thirty teams will compete for the continental crown Seven nationalities and more than thirty teams will compete for the continental crown in the Uber ORC C class at the 43rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE, organized by the Real Club Náutico de Palma. Posted on 21 Jul
New Wave Claims Third IC37 National Championship
A busy weekend at the New York Yacht Club with Coastal Races Regatta and the 69th Queen's Cup For the third time in four years, Steve Liebel's New Wave team emerged victorious in the the IC37 National Championship, sailed over the weekend out of the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, R.I. Posted on 21 Jul
One month to the 20th Palermo-Montecarlo Regatta
A major international edition is under way for the regatta's twentieth anniversary The Palermo-Montecarlo regatta is approaching its twentieth anniversary, a prestigious milestone that seems to have arrived in a flash, since that distant August 2005, the year with the debut victory of a legendary yacht, the Steinlager II oceanic ketch. Posted on 20 Jul
A Memorable 101st Bayview Mackinac Race
A remarkable race, one likely to be remembered for years to come Nearly the entire fleet of 191 entries in the 101st edition of the Bayview Mackinac Race organized by the Bayview Yacht Club crossed the finish line with the impression that this was a remarkable race, one likely to be remembered for years to come. Posted on 17 Jul
Sail Racing ORC A at Copa del Rey MAPFRE Preview
The most international class of the event is set for a fierce battle Among those 33 teams from 15 different countries competing in the Sail Racing ORC A category are the defending champion, the current ClubSwan 42 world champion, and the team with the most overall victories in the history of the Copa del Rey MAPFRE. Posted on 17 Jul
A challenging and memorable 5th edition AEGEAN 600
Bright lights and gleaming trophies were not the only indication of a successful edition At Saturday night's Awards Ceremony of the 2025 AEGEAN 600 the bright lights and gleaming trophies were not the only indication of a successful 5th edition of this challenging offshore race organized annually by the Hellenic Offshore Racing Club (HORC). Posted on 13 Jul
Top Double-Handed teams shine in Helsinki
The new ORC DH European Champions are Jolene (SWE), Team Goodio (FIN) and Garmin Team Pro4u (SWE) After a thrilling week of competition on the Baltic Sea, the 2025 Garmin ORC Double-Handed European Championship concluded on a high note at Helsingfors Segelklubb. Posted on 12 Jul
Long Offshore Race winners declared in Helsinki
A demanding course across the Gulf of Finland in the Garmin ORC Double-Handed Europeans The Long Offshore Race of the 2025 Garmin ORC Double-Handed European Championship, concluded on Friday in Helsinki after a challenging 247 to 283-nautical-mile course across the Gulf of Finland and back. Posted on 11 Jul
Best Buddies from Germany win the AEGEAN 600 2025
The second wave of finishers benefit from last night's steadier breezes Behind the first wave of finishers yesterday morning, yesterday and last night's steadier breezes helped sweep in another wave of Monohull and Multihull finishers to the race finish at Cape Sounion. Posted on 11 Jul
101st Bayview Mackinac Race starts on Saturday
A massive fleet of 183 monohulls and 9 multihulls will set off to race entire length of Lake Huron It is one day to go, and the fleet is assembled in Port Huron before the start of the 101st Bayview Mackinac Race, organized by the Bayview Yacht Club and presented by National Fleet Services. Posted on 11 Jul
Rooster 2025C-Tech 2021 (Spars-QFX Racer) 728x90 BOTTOMPalm Beach Motor Yachts