Why This Rule

Why Pick ORR or EZ

The majority of American sailors believe handicap racing should be fun and fair. They want to leave the optimization “arms race” to an elite few.

The ORR and EZ rules accomplish fair and fun racing better than any other rule by using sophisticated algorithms and comprehensive rule books. ORR and EZ are backed by regional and national representatives to assist in measurement, rating, and scoring of seasonal racing and individual events to simplify the work of local volunteers and race managers.

The Offshore Racing Rule (ORR) is the most accurate and widely used handicapping rule in North America for prominent ocean races. It is also excellent for point-to-point and buoy racing for a wide variety of sailboat types in a range of wind and sea conditions. ORR-rated boats may be fully or partially measured. Fully measured boats include their actual limit of positive stability, ensuring an important safety factor.  All top-level scoring options are supported, including TOT (TCF), PCS and F-TCF for standard and custom course definitions.

The EZ Racing Rule (EZ), previously called ORR-Ez, is an adaptation of ORR that allows inexpensive access to a state of the art handicapping system using a vast database of production boat information combined with self-declared rig and sail measurements. The application data required for an EZ certificate is no more onerous or costly than systems like PHRF, making it the perfect upgrade for local fleet racing.

EZ is also extremely adaptable, with 'on ramps' for any level of sailor. The options range from a single-number PHRF Benchmark rating, to wind- and/or course-sensitive Time-on-Distance and Time-on-Time ratings, to Performance Curve Scoring and support for the latest Forecast TCF systems. EZ can meet any of these needs.

Underlying both the ORR and EZ rules is the proprietary Velocity Prediction Program (VPP) that has been continually improved over decades in small steps to maintain equal handicapping for older and newer boats, even as hull shapes, rigs and sails have modernized. The goal of the ORR VPP is to have crews race against each other on equally rated boats and to discourage optimization to a predetermined design preference (aka: typeforming) that can lead to expensive innovation and leaves older boats at a disadvantage.