Upgrades underway for Offshore Racing Rule

In a continuing effort to improve the customer experience, the Offshore Racing Association (ORA), the owner of the Offshore Racing Rule (ORR), will be offering the offshore community a new and improved Offshore Racing Rule, offering better customer support in the process.

Jim Teeters will be heading up this effort as part of the ORA initiative and will be partnering with ORA in continuing the development of ORR and its Velocity Prediction Program (VPP). Teeters, currently the Associate Director of US Sailing’s Offshore Office, will be leaving this position by mid-January 2015.

Teeters has seen many changes over the years in rating systems. “The last decade has witnessed profound changes in VPP accuracy as we incorporate the results of scientific experiments and the observation of actual racing,” states Teeters. “We have the benefit of an offshore team that is fully involved in the A to Z of the ORR: measurement, rating, fielding inquiries and trial certificates, close communication with event organizers, race observation, funded research and code development. The results of this can be seen in the wide variety of well-sailed, well-designed, boats that win ORR races. The move to a partnership with ORA will permit even greater focus on VPP development, at the same time expanding the core offshore team by closely integrating marketing and regatta support.”

Source: Bjorn R. Johnson, Offshore Racing Association