The International Technical Committee met in Hamburg for a three days meeting in preparation for the next AGM in Estoril. All members except one were present, and the meeting was very productive with a very full agenda. These are the main items discussed, which after validation and test runs will possibly be implemented in the VPP for next year:

AERODYNAMICS

After wind tunnel tests performed during the winter in Politecnico – Milan the IMS aero model was thoroughly revised and updated with new formulations of:

- Effective Height (Heff)
- Center of effort of sail plan height (CEH)
- Twist of sails
- Decrease of drive force with heel

The results of the wind tunnel were more related to the physics of the sail plan of the boat and how the sails are handled in the boat. The final formulation could in some way affect stiffer boats that won’t be forced to reduce their stability to remain competitive, and conversely an increase in stability won’t increase the handicap of the same amount of sec/m as it is now.

In the wind tunnel tests two CODE 0 sails were tested and ITC recommends to include this new sail configuration (MAIN + CODE 0) among the VPP runs, which is now performed for the MAIN + JIB, the MAIN + SPINNAKER and when it exists the MAIN + ASYM configurations. The CODE 0 sail coefficients remain to be finalized.

HYDRODINAMICS

Regarding the Hydrodynamic part a long study on length, overhangs and truncated sterns that was on ITC table since many years was given new attention and a new proposal of abandoning the long discussed "sunk" condition that is used to calculate LSM4. With the new routine implemented the speed of the  boats with short overhangs and immersed transom will be closer to reality, taking into account the different behavior with aft turbulence and flow separation.

The Residuary Resistance cefficients will be updated with new models added to the model data regression with an increase in accuracy of tank test data after a long revision.

Heeled drag is always under revision and if good results will come in the next month from tests in progress, a new formulation will be implemented, that will better rate "boxy" boats.

Finally a thorough study of stability of boats and how it is related to sail area and boat dimensions is in progress. If the results of this investigation will be positive it will be implemented returning a further incentive to increase stability of boats or at least not to decrease it to stay competitive.

All these modification in progress will eventually produce after November a substantially revised IMS VPP that will remove the current - perceived - disadvantages of lighter, faster and stiffer boats. Furthermore, a study is in progress to evaluate alternatives to the current wind averaging formulation.

The changes to the handicaps from the current to the 2008 VPP will be more substantial than it has been customary for a number of years. All the efforts that ORC and ITC have put in the constant research and development of the VPP will result in a new re-designed and re-branded measurement and rating system confirming ORC as “World Leader in Rating Technology”.

ORC SOFTWARE

Together with ITC, an ORC Working group for the ORC Rating office software has met finalizing the first version of the new ORC Windows software for the Rating Offices and Designer subscribers.

After the extensive work during the year to develop the new sotware the system is completely re-designed, while keeping full compatibility with the previous versions and creating for the first time  a wide range of different output products along a redesigned rating certificate, that will include from next year:

- IMS Certificate
- ORC Club certificate
- Performance package
- Hydrostatics and Stability certificate (ISO standards)
- Sail Plan
- Resistance Curve

The data of all the boats measured worldwide will be available on the new ORC Web database as a service to the Rating offices, designer subscribers as well as the race organizers, owners and sailors. The copyright for designers will be protected because the data will not be available for download except to the Rating Officers. 

All the new features will be finalized during the AGM meetings scheduled at the beginning of November in Estoril.