Refined 2016 ORC Superyacht Rule Now Officially Published

As every year, this edition will also see a large diversity of boat types, with 300-ton giants sparring with feather-light carbon rockets. Trying to have fair racing amid this tremendous imbalance in weight, shape and size has been the inspiration to develop the ORCsy rule which debuted at the St. Barths Bucket early last year. Developed by ORC, this rating system combines a sophisticated velocity prediction program (VPP) with 'dynamic allowances' - which means concessions are made for yachts with, for example, a sizeable satellite dome, a substantial super structure or a furling jib which can slow down a yacht's performance.

After each of the 7 events in 2015 that used the ORCsy rating, more was learned about the processes and application of the rule and so it was fine-tuned accordingly. Also the VPP has been steadily developed and adjusted by ORC and SYRA, reaching a total of no less than 48 revisions. Throughout the 2015 racing season the opinions have been predominantly positive resulting in not only tight racing but additionally, and most importantly, the thumbs-up from owners, captains and crew.

Again this edition will see 300-ton giants sparring with feather-light carbon rockets.

As part of its commitment to continue to develop the system, the ORCsy Committee has its team of measurers and technicians attend each ORCsy event to make direct observations and improvements to the rule. Committee member Paolo Massarini says: "We still have work ahead of us when it comes to equalising such hugely disparate yachts, but we're another year further and certainly a step closer, and we believe that the 2016 season will be another success."

The Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) and the SuperYacht Racing Association (SYRA) are pleased to announce that the 2016 version of the ORC SuperYacht Rule (ORCsy), which among others will be applied at the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta & Rendezvous, the St. Barths Bucket and of course the Superyacht Cup, is now available online.

Palma based McMaster Yachts - New Silver Sponsor

We are proud to announce new silver sponsor McMaster Yachts, a friendly and knowledgeable management company in the business of smoothly run sailing superyachts. Based both in the UK and Palma de Mallorca they remove the burden of yacht ownership by supporting the captain and/or owner with everything from day to day operations to the management of a complete rebuild.

McMaster Yachts are a source of strength for a whole fleet of impressive sail yachts, like for example the 45m Dubois designed sloop Salperton. This award-winning performance-cruiser is a Superyacht Cup regular and competed for the last time in 2013 when she took third in class one. In the same year she also claimed overall victory in Porto Cervo and posted second place at the St. Barths Bucket. Sailing on board Salperton this year will be two-times Olympic medallist and Volvo Ocean Race winner Ian Walker. He was given the boats.com YJA Yachtsman of the Year Award last month! The accomplished Shirley Robertson will be at the helm, no less. She made it in the history books by becoming the first British woman to win two Olympic gold medals at consecutive games, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. What a team!

New SYC entrant: the award-winning 45m sloop Salperton with Ian Walker on tactics and Shirley Robertson helming.

Superyacht Haven STP to Continue Silver Support

STP, one of the biggest, busiest and most advanced shipyards in Europe facilitates superyachts up to 120m in length and boasts multiple travel lifts of up to 700 tons. Run by big-boat professionals it's equipped with cutting-edge technology and guarantees both quality and efficiency. Additionally no less than 450 contracting companies are located on site, ready to supply or service any type of yacht: from the 120 meter mega yacht A to a relatively tiny Mini Transat. Moreover, captains are able to choose whichever contractor they wish to work with for refit or maintenance work. By and large it comes as no surprise that the yard welcomes more than 1100 boats annually and sees the travel lift move over 1600 times!

STP, one of the biggest, busiest and most advanced shipyards in Europe.

Vitters, Astilleros de Mallorca, Evolution Sails and Gottifredi Maffioli to Continue Cup Support

The prestigious Dutch Vitters Shipyard will again be showing their ongoing support and will be represented by no less than four very powerful entries. There is the new, bigger and more forceful 46m Unfurled, Ganesha, whose regatta results include wins at St. Barths, Sardinia and Palma and the ferociously green-hulled Inouï, last year's Class B winner, designed by the bespoke Philippe Briand.

The well-known Mallorcan shipyard Astilleros de Mallorca, builders of the 65m stunning three-masted schooner SY Adix have again teamed up with the Cup as silver sponsors. The yard's facilities allows them to undertake any repair or maintenance work on superyachts up to 70m and their remarkable portfolio of works include many SYC entrants like the 31m Gaia and wild card Win Win.

The 33m Win Win, here hunting down Inouï in the bay of Palma.

We're also pleased to announce that Evolution Sails -as well as Gottifredi Maffioli- will be continuing their silver support. Evolution Sails, worldwide makers of custom cruising, racing, grand prix and one design sails, work from production lofts which are among the largest clear span sailmaking lofts on the globe! Furthermore, their loft close to Palma is specifically set up for servicing, cleaning and storing sails for their super yacht clientele.

The innovators behind Gottifredi Maffioli -official suppliers of Extreme 40 and Melges 32 classes- have been developing rope since 1926 and are responsible for introducing ground breaking fibres such as Kevlar, Dyneema and PBO into the racing sailing market. Their products have gone aboard the most celebrated boats, racing regattas such as the America's Cup, the Volvo, the Route du Rhum and the Vendee Globe. And did you know that in 1954 the company developed the first climbing rope made of nylon? These cutting-edge lines were only used by the Italian expedition that conquered K2!

Three More Exciting New Entries

The 27m modern-classic Tempus Fugit, a racer-cruiser designed by Humphreys Yacht Design boasts proven blue water credentials. This wood-built beauty has participated and set herself apart in some of the world's most renowned regattas like Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, the Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta & Rendezvous, the NYYC Annual Regatta and the Opera House Cup.

We're also proud to announce that you'll be able to gawk at the breathtakingly beautiful two masted gaff schooner Mariette of 1915. The fact that she typically unfurls eight sails going upwind and has two sets of running backstays on the main does not hold her back one little bit. She not only scored top slot at the 2012 Pendennis Cup but also claimed a respectable third place in last year's Transatlantic Race, ahead of all-carbon racers Rambler and Comanche no less.

The breathtakingly beautiful Mariette will compete in this vintage edition of the Superyacht Cup.

Another one to watch out for is the 35m multi-talented Sojana, designed by Farr Yacht Design. She's competed in everything from the RORC Caribbean 600 to the Antigua mega-yacht challenge but has been out of the racing scene for a few years; the last time she competed in the Superyacht Cup was in 2010. We're thrilled to have her return for our already much talked about twentieth edition.

With these three latest additions our entry list now totals a line-up of over 20 spectacular superyachts, but it's not over yet, as there are still a number of equally impressive entries looking to confirm soon. Watch this space!

Another one to watch out for is the 35m multi-talented Sojana, designed by Farr Yacht Design.

The Superyacht Racing Season Kicks Off

With the conclusion of the South Pacific's premier super yacht regatta, the New Zealand Millennium Cup and Antigua's Superyacht Challenge at the end of January, we can say that the 2016 superyacht racing season has officially kicked off. Next, we'll look forward to the Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta & Rendezvous and the St Barths Bucket Regatta which take place in March. The two upcoming regattas boast a competitive entry list made up of ridiculously fast boats of which Ganesha, Inouï and the newly launched Unfurled, will be sailing hard in both St. Barths and Virgin Gorda. After this, a final showdown is likely to take place in Palma during the Superyacht Cup in June!