NEWPORT, Calif., April 26, 2024 — The Offshore Racing Association and Regatta Management Solutions have developed a revolutionary new predictive rating system which they have dubbed Forecast Along Rhumb Line, or FAR for short.

The organizers of the annual Newport-Ensenada Race wanted to update their scoring methods while supporting the SoCal racing community’s growing interest in VPP-based rating systems, such as ORR and ORR-Ez.  They reached out to ORA for suggestions and the fledgling FAR system seemed like a perfect fit for this race and a good first test.

For this regatta, boats with ORR and ORR-Ez rating certificates are assigned a custom time-on-time rating calculated by the FAR system.  These single-factor ratings are customized for each boat, for this specific race course on this specific day, using the latest weather forecast.  The FAR ratings are then used to score the race in the usual manner.

What sets the FAR system apart from previous weather-sensitive rating methods is that each boat’s performance is predicted individually along the rhumb line, using the most accurate weather forecasting available.  This puts each boat’s performance into a real-world context.

For example, if the wind is predicted to diminish late in the race, after the fastest boats have already finished, this change will be reflected in the custom FAR ratings for the slower boats, giving them a fighting chance to correct-out with the big boys.  Likewise, if the wind is predicted to clock around such that spinnakers can only be carried late in the race, the faster boats that did not benefit from that wind shift are protected by their custom FAR ratings.

These examples are very real possibilities in a race like Newport-Ensenada and older rating systems do not account for such variables.

Everyone involved is excited to see how this year’s race turns out.

The venerable Newport-Ensenada Race is the signature event hosted by the Newport Ocean Sailing Association, which has run this spring classic since its inaugural race in 1948.

The non-profit Offshore Racing Association was formed in 2004 and is the owner, developer, and manager of the Offshore Racing Rule family of rating rules, which includes ORR and ORR-Ez.

In addition to providing a management platform for ratings systems, Regatta Management Solutions is a low cost host for scoring and managing regattas, events, and club memberships coast-to-coast.