Changes to IRC Rules For 2012

Here is IRC rule changes for 2012. Bold are related to sails.

The following Rule changes come into effect on 1st January 2012 (1st June 2012 for South certification year).

• Rule 9.6 is amended to clarify the position when a rating protest has been lodged.
• Rule 10.6 is amended to give the Rating Authority greater flexibility.
• Rule 21.5.3 is amended to remove the mainsail widths minima in the interests of greater equity for boats with in-mast furling mainsails. 
• Rules 21.7.1 and 21.7.3 are amended to remove the headsail widths minima in the interests of greater equity for boats with overlapping headsails or a roller furling headsail.
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• Rule 22.3.3 is amended to require boats with canting keels to have a physical lock at maximum keel cant angle.
• The definitions of h and y are amended without change in meaning to replace defective wording and to improve clarity.
• The definition of LP is amended to clarify which sails are included in the measurement of LP for cutter rigs. 
• Typographic corrections without any changes in meaning have been made to Rules 9.6, 25.1, 26.1, and the definition of LH.

ISAF Offshore Special Regulations Change

There are some changes in ISAF Offshore Special Regulations 2012-2014 regarding storm and heavy weather sails. Summary of this changes are:

• new sails visibility definitions
• calculation of sails area
• heavy weather jibs now can have reefs

More details you can find in official document.

ORC Sailor Services features five new languages, 2012 ratings, and free certificate copies

Not really sailmaking news but it is related. Here is copy of ORC news:

The Offshore Racing Congress announces that its innovative user-friendly access to the rating system, ORC Sailor Services, will now feature translations of its services and functions in German, Spanish, Italian, Croatian and Greek to better serve a large segment of the ORC community. Other languages are going to be offered soon, including French, Portuguese and Japanese.

Sailor Services will also now offer to registered users free copies of the nearly 20,000 ORC International and ORC Club certificates issued in over 40 countries since 2009.

And now that beta testing has concluded by the International Technical Committee, new certificate copies and test certificates issued by Sailor Services will be run using the new 2012 ORC VPP.

"We're very pleased to offer these new features to the offshore racing community," says Bruno Finzi, Chairman of ORC. "It furthers our mission to deliver the best rating system in the world to the largest audience in the most transparent and accessible manner possible."

Since its introduction nearly a year ago, Sailor Services has been used by nearly 1200 users in 15 countries for access to copies of issued certificates, but also to run test certificates using measurements taken from over 55,000 measurement records available over the past 20 years from boats with issued IMS, ORC Club and/or ORC International certificates.

For only €10 each, users can run a test certificate on their boat or any boat in this system from a measurement file with an editable parameter of interest, such as sail size, rig configuration, or crew weight. Effects on rating due to hull or appendage changes cannot be examined, as the offset files cannot be changed and remain secure in the ORC database. For these changes the user must contact their designer or their local rating office.

Test certificates are, however, not meant to replace valid certificates issued by an ORC rating authority, and are therefore not valid for racing. 

"This is an outstanding service not only to the boat owners, who are exploring simple changes to their sails or rigging or crew, but also to the more knowledgeable users, like official measurers, who can examine quickly and directly online the effect of their measurements on a boat's certificate," says Nicola Sironi, Chief Measurer for ORC.

For more information on ORC rules, events and rating services, visit www.orc.org, and for more information about ORC Sailor Services, visit www.orc.org/sailorservices.