Boat owners will now be able to apply for an ‘unendorsed’ IRC certificate – one where they get a rating by simply measuring the boat themselves, saving on the time and expense of weighing and measurement by an official measurer.
The use of unendorsed certificates is very common in most other countries who have used IRC, and the decision to allow unendorsed certificates will help New Zealand’s IRC fleet grow by making the process substantially cheaper and easier for the owners.
The decision was made by the IRC Owners Association which is a group of boat owners committed to generating competitive racing for IRC boats throughout the country. The Association hopes to get an increase in smaller boats using the rating rule so that divisions can be created based on boat length, which will give fairer and more rewarding racing.
The IRC Owners Association says that as a measurement based rule it rewards boat preparation and sailing ability and not rewarding mediocrity. The IRC Owners Association are committed to seeing it succeed in New Zealand and supporting the many yacht owners who have an IRC certificate.
The 2009/2010 IRC Racing Calendar is currently being planned with the National Championships being held during the Line 7 Regatta in Wellington. There will also be IRC divisions in the Auckland to Noumea race and Around North Island Race. The IRC 2009/2010 calendar will be published shortly.
2010 IRC Nationals Venue & Dates Announced
Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club has been awarded the 2010 IRC Nationals which will be run conjunction with the Line 7 Regatta from 12th – 14th February 2010. The Line 7 Regatta will be part of the stop over for the fully crewed Round North Island Race.
The IRC Nationals will be run in two divisions starting 5 minutes apart sailing same course. Courses will be a combination of windward leeward, triangles and harbour courses
IRC works well at club racing level
Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club in Wellington was one of the early adopters of IRC and over the last three seasons it has generally worked well for the club. Because IRC is a rating rule not a performance based handicap RPNYC use it as the “top end” system.
The RPNYC fleet races in three divisions...
Div 1 ranges from Davidson 55 – Young 11 – Ross 10.6 - Thompson 30. - MRX
Div 2 includes Farr 1020 - Ross 930 – Young 88’s - Mull 9.5’s
Presidents Div – predominantly cruising boats
Results for Divisions 1 & 2 are calculated using IRC, PHRF and General handicap. RPNYC awards race prizes, series prizes and season championships for results under IRC, PHRF and General Handicap.
Those boats that are rated under IRC enjoy close racing on corrected time, with boats separated on corrected time by very small margins. On any given day, the winner on IRC could be a Davidson 55, Young 11, Farr MRX, Davidson 35, Warwick 10.6 Farr 1020 or Young 88. |
