International Offshore Rule - Part 4: Level Rating and Handicapping

Earlier articles about the International Offshore Rule ('IOR') have looked at some of the key components of measuring a yacht under the rule, and deriving a handicap with the aim of allowing different size yachts to compete against each other at any venue around the world (Part 1 is here). Level rating was the non-handicap form of racing under the IOR, where each boat was designed to the same handicap rating, or ‘Ton’ class. 

Part of the big 43-boat fleet that contested the 1976 One Ton Cup in Marseille, France (photo Bateaux magazine)

Looking at the level rating classes first, the glamour fleet were the One Tonners, which had the ‘Coupe Internationale du Cercle de la Voile de Paris’, or the One Ton Cup, as their holy grail. The Cup was so named because it was presented in 1899 by the Cercle de la Voile de Paris ('CVP') for competition by boats with fixed keels, rated at one ton or less under the French tonnage rule of 1892. These small boats, approximately 5m on the waterline, raced in Cowes or on the Siene until 6-metre class yachts were used for the trophy following the advent of the IYRU International Rule. The impressive trophy was just under a metre high and was carved out of a 10kg block of solid silver by a Parisian goldsmith.

The One Ton Cup

The last One Ton Cup in 6-metres was held in 1962. In 1965 the CVP declared that it should be used for yachts racing boat for boat at a maximum specified RORC rating (22ft). The clubs at La Rochelle soon after gave the Half Ton Cup for boats with an 18ft rating, and the Quarter Ton Cup for boats with a 15ft rating. The additional international racing that occurred under this arrangement became a major influence on the whole process for a change towards an international rating rule. With the arrival of IOR, it was agreed to use the same level rating concept. Thus in 1971 the One Ton class was defined at 27.5ft IOR, Half Ton at 21.7ft, and Quarter Ton at 18ft. There was also a Two Ton class which was not well supported at a 33ft rating and was changed to 32ft in 1974 (and later to 34.5ft). In 1974 the US delegates to the ORC presented a Three-Quarter Ton Cup for racing at 24.5ft, and the Mini Ton class was introduced in 1978 for racing at 16.0ft. In 1983 the rating limit for One Tonners was raised to 30.5ft, after a drop in support for the One Ton Cup at the old limit, and giving the class a dual purpose as they would now meet the lower rating limit for the Admiral's Cup.

The popularity of the Half Ton Class was evident from this photograph of a start during the 1976 Half Ton Cup in Trieste (photo Bateaux magazine)

These limits were further adjusted to two decimal figures as measurement techniques became more precise (e.g., the One Ton limit became 30.54ft). The 50-Foot Class, followed a similar model using a limit of 40ft (increased slightly to 40.54ft in 1991), but used individual and variable ratings within this limit for some regattas, and no ‘Ton’ classification was applied to this fleet. 

The 50-Footers enjoyed close racing on a level-rating basis for many years (photo Guy Gurney)

In the same vein, Maxi yachts were those that raced under the IOR's rating limit of 70.0ft (which was subsequently eased in the late 1980s), but given the sometimes large variance in actual ratings for these large yachts their racing was usually based on handicap results, although line honours remained a keen focus. 

Part of the Maxi fleet competing in the 1988 Kenwood Cup in Hawaii, with Sorcery (70.82ft IOR) leading Il Moro di Venezia (70.05ft), Ondine VII (70.04ft) and Matador (69.99ft)

Associated with the Quarter, Half and One Ton Cups were race-specific trophies. For the One Ton Cup, these included the Trophee de la Societe Nautique de Marseilles, for the winner of the short offshore race, and the White Horse Trophy, for the winner of the long offshore race.

One challenge in changing Pendragon from her original configuration as a Three-Quarter Tonner to a One Tonner in 1979 was meeting the increased accommodation requirements for One Tonners stipulated by the ORC 'Green Book' regulations (photo Paul Mello)

Each level rating class was subject to specific ORC regulations that governed the world championships (the ‘Ton Cups’) for each of the level rating classes (the ‘Green Book’). This set out the rating limits for each class, the rules under which each championship would be raced (such as the length and type of courses to be raced) and the maximum number of entries for any given championship. The Green Book also specified certain design parameters not otherwise covered by the IOR rule itself, such as the minimum height and area of headroom, freshwater capacity, the minimum number of berths, and even the minimum thickness of squabs to be carried.

A closely packed fleet of One Tonners during the 1984 One Ton Cup, the first held under the new rating limit of 30.5ft

Level-rating yachts were also campaigned in mixed fleet regattas (where they might further optimise performance and fall in or out of the class limit), which necessitated the use of handicapping and the application of time correction factors.

Close racing between a group of One Tonners during the 1987 Admiral's Cup (photo Bateaux magazine)

A yacht’s IOR rating was a length measurement, expressed in feet. For a yacht designed with an eye to the rule, its rating might typically be around 8-10ft less than its LOA. In a handicapped race, the IOR rating was used to compute either a Time Correction Factor ('TCF') expressed as a decimal figure, and which for 'Time-on-Time' handicapping was computed against elapsed time to provide a corrected time; or as a Time-on-Distance allowance, expressed in seconds per nautical mile. Time-on-Time is similar to a general handicap or PHRF system. Time-on-Distance was used by multiplying the distance of the race by a time factor, and subtracting from the boat's actual time, to compute the boat's corrected time (the current IRC rule dispenses with the conversion between rating and handicap, by simply expressing a yacht’s rating by way of a TCF).

A crowded start line at the 1985 Admiral's Cup, with 57 yachts (representing 19 national teams) rating between 30 - 40ft IOR in a single fleet (photo Guy Gurney)

This was a further complication in the level of acceptance achieved by the IOR, at least in mixed-fleet racing. This is because no matter how accurate the measurement system, if the time correction formula was seen to unduly favour one size of yacht over another, the system would lose support.

Startline action during the 1978 Quarter Ton Cup in 1978, held in Japan (photo Guy Gurney)

Under IOR, and as with the former CCA and RORC, the USA continued to use Time-on-Distance while others used a single figure TCF, and this also resulted in different perceptions of the rule. A committee of ORC sat for several years attempting to reach a single compromise on time allowances, and duly dissolved itself without finding a solution. However, both approaches were based on the same principle, in that a higher rating gave a smaller time allowance, and vice versa.

The diminutive Farr-designed KevFlyer, rating just 20.0ft, racing in the 1980 Clipper Cup (photo Phil Uhl)

The generally adopted formula for the TCF adopted by the RORC for IOR racing was, at least initially, a relatively simple calculation: TCF = (R1/2 + 2.6) / 10. For example, a One Tonner, with a rating of 27.5ft, had a TCF of 0.774, while a Half Tonner, with a rating of 21.7ft, had a TCF of 0.716.

International mixed fleet racing under IOR, with Half Tonners (eg Swuzzlebubble, KZ3494) racing alongside the Maxi Kialoa III (background) during the 1977 Southern Cross Cup (photo Phil Uhl)

As with the IOR rule itself, the TCF formula underwent further evolution, with yacht clubs able to adjust the formula to suit their preferences. For example, in 1975 the RORC produced the following amendment: TCF = 0.2424(R)1/2/1 + 0.567(R)1/2. The only significance of this was to create a ‘hard point’ in the time correction factor graph at the place of a ‘base’ yacht of 29ft rating (TCF of 1.000). This formula withstood pressure for further change until the mid-1980s, where bigger yachts were given some easement following the dominance of One Tonners in the 1985 and 1987 editions of the Admiral’s Cup, but the swing of the pendulum lead to something of a rout by the fastest 50-footers in 1989. Such problems with finding the 'perfect' formula were, at least for the Admiral's Cup, subsequently avoided by changes to the regatta format from 1991 with boats racing in level rating divisions. 

Changes to the RORC's TCF in 1989 saw the ascendancy of the 50-footers in that year's Admiral's Cup, with Jamarella taking individual honours overall, followed by Will (second) and Stockbrokers Container in fourth (photo Peter Ludlow)

The Farr-designed Shockwave on her way to winning the 1992 Two Ton Cup (held in conjunction with the 1992 Kenwood Cup in Hawaii)

Part of the text used for this article is adapted from the book A Lighter Ton - The Champion NZ Yachts of the 1970s, 2012

Regates Royales 2019

The 41st Regates Royales, organised by the Yacht Club de Cannes, will be held on 22nd to  28th September 2019 in Cannes, France.  This year, the organisers have included a division for "classic" One Tonners, being those "yachts designed or built from January 1965 of 22ft RORC minimum rating for yachts built before 1971, including One Tonner having participated in 1965/1966 editions having a design or construction prior to 1965, and 27.5ft rating minimum IOR for yachts built between 1971 and 1976 (yachts produced industrially from IOR plan are not allowed)". The regatta will use the ORC measurement system, and  more details can be seen on the event website here.

Doug Peterson's breakthrough One Tonner Ganbare, now owned and sailed by Don Wood, has competed in this regatta with some distinction over previous years.  The attached photographs were taken last year when she flew her new downwind sail wardrobe, including a modern take on the blooper.  The blooper was built by Peter Sanders, of Sanders Sails of Lymington UK - Classic Sails Division.  Sanders has been making sails since the 1970s and so his loft has a lot of experience in IOR sailplans, and made the remainder of Ganbare's sails which have helped Ganbare to victory in the Panerai Med Classic Challenge two years running.  

Wood notes that two of his crew used to race in the heydays of the IOR, so have had some fun recalling and using their skills in the optimal setting of a blooper sail, which involves trimming not just the sheet, but the halyard and tackline as well, while also trimming the spinnaker sheet and brace!

An earlier article noting a new allowance for bloopers under ORR can be seen here.

Smir-Noff-Agen - The Rebuild (Part 2)

Here are some recent photos from the re-build of the Farr One Ton centreboarder, Smir-Noff-Agen. As readers may recall from a previous article, Smir-Noff-Agen was found in a parlous state in Australia in mid-2016, and has been shipped to Dubai where she is in the process of being upgraded to have a second life as a modern IRC race yacht.  Her wooden hull has been saved, and she is due for relaunch in September this year. She will be re-named Oro Nero, and will feature a black and gold colour scheme. 

Update November 2021 (MKF, Sailing Anarchy): "Still refurbishing the old Farr 1 tonner Smir-noff-Agen here.... should have it in the water next season. What was amazing is that all the plywood has rotted away, but the Kauri wood was as robust as new, amazing wood".

Phoenix (Beneteau One Tonner)

Phoenix was a Fauroux/Finot/Berret design from Beneteau (a development of Fair Lady and sistership of Coyote), and had a starring role in the 1985 Admiral's Cup. She was sailed by Graham Walker and Harold Cudmore, who had actually started their 1985 campaign with Walker's fourth Indulgence, a Daniel Andrieu-designed One Tonner. However, on Indulgence's first offshore race, the RORC's De Guingand Bowl, they sailed too close to Bembridge Ledge and in the early hours of the morning she hit an old shipwreck (the 1916 wreck of the Empress Queen) - while initially the boat seemed sufficiently intact to sail on, further inspection just half an hour later found that the boat was filling up fast.  The crew were taken off the boat by other competitors, and the boat was written off. 

Walker chartered Phoenix from the boat's owner, an American based in London, and sailed well through the British Admiral's Cup trials. Phoenix joined two other One Tonners, Jade and Panda, to make up the British team for the 1985 series. The boat's owner shared time on the boat with Walker, while Cudmore put together a strong crew, and signed up new British J-24 champion Eddie Warden-Owen to helm the boat. 

The sad sight of Indulgence being lifted from the water after her collision with a sunken wreck off Bembridge Ledge

Phoenix in fresh downwind conditions on the Solent

Hull profile of the Beneteau One Ton design of 1984/85 - the design was relatively short, light, beamy and well-canvassed, and with a high prismatic coefficient

Phoenix

Results in the 1985 One Ton Cup, held in Poole, were perhaps as expected for a crew that were still getting to know the boat, and she finished 13th in a hot 38-boat fleet, including many One Tonners that were using the event as a warm-up for the Admiral's Cup. Her team-mates Jade and Panda finished first and third. Experience from the One Ton Cup was used to tune Phoenix, with adjustments made to the ballast, deck gear and sails to trade some upwind speed for better reaching and running form.

Phoenix crosses behind Australia's Drakes Prayer in light upwind conditions during the 1985 Admiral's Cup

Phoenix in close company with the much higher rating Almagores (ITA, centre) and Jade (inshore) in the stampede to the finish of the first inshore past Cowes Green during the 1985 Admiral's Cup

Phoenix and Jade finished fourth and fifth in the first race of the 1985 Admiral's Cup, giving the British team the early overall lead in the series. That was short-lived, however, after Panda and Jade finished 29th and 35th in the second race, with only Phoenix able to post a decent place of fifth, and the team slumped to fourth, and Germany jumped into the lead. But they bounced back in the fast and fresh reaching conditions of the third race, the Channel Race - Jade, Panda and Phoenix finished first, second and eighth to bounce back into second overall.

Phoenix in fresh conditions during the 1985 Admiral's Cup (photo is possibly before the start of the Fastnet Race)

While the fourth race, inshore on Christchurch Bay, saw the bigger boats into the leading positions, Phoenix took the race win. While Panda was the winner of the Fastnet, Jade lost her rig and although Phoenix finished fourth to take out the top yacht of the series honours, the German team put in a consistent effort to win the series comfortably.  

Port Barcelona comes back into the marina during the 1986 One Ton Cup in Palma de Majorque

Phoenix later became Port Barcelona and finished third in the 1986 One Ton Cup, held in Palma de Majorque (with placings of 4/12/6/5/16/3), and 10th in the 1986 Sardinia Cup (13/15/16/9/11).

Port Barcelona soon after a start during the 1986 Sardinia Cup, with Germany's Diva G ahead and to leeward

Port Barcelona during the 1986 Sardinia Cup

One Tonner Revival Regatta 2017

The 2017 edition of the One Tonner Revival Regatta, hosted again in Breskens, The Netherlands - details below:

A photo from the 2016 regatta (above), with Guanabara passing behind Esprit du Morbihan.  A video summary is below

Smir-Noff-Agen: Saved!

Smir-Noff-Agen, one of five centreboarders designed by Bruce Farr for the 1977 One Ton Cup, has been rescued from an uncertain future in Australia's Gold Coast. She was loaded onto a ship in September 2016 for transport to Dubai, where she is receiving a complete restoration and upgrade to have a second life as a modern IRC racing yacht, with a similar approach to that given to the Half Tonner Swuzzlebubble.

Smir-Noff-Agen seen here sailing as part of the victorious New Zealand team during the 1977 Southern Cross Cup in Sydney

The Farr centreboarders of 1977 were very fast yachts, and featured some of the cleanest hull shapes of the IOR era, and considered long for their rating (27.5ft IOR). As with Swuzzlebubble, this combination, along with a modern rig, sails and foils, should mean that the boat will be very competitive under IRC.

In somewhat of a sad state following a stalled refurbishment effort in the Gold Coast

Smir-Noff-Agen was later named Vanguard, then Scallywag II (and won the 1982 Sydney to Hobart race), and then Best by Farr - her history can be seen here. She will be re-named Oro Nero, and will feature a black and gold colour scheme.

Being loaded onto a cradle (above) and truck (below) for her long voyage to Dubai

The effort to give Smir-Noff-Agen a new lease of life means that four of the five boats built to this design are still sailing and/or racing (see Jenny H, Mr Jumpa and The Red Lion), with only the whereabouts of the Australian boat Hecate unknown (but thought to be located in Darwin).

Update here.

Full Pelt (Dubois One Tonner)

Full Pelt was a One Tonner, designed by Ed Dubois and built by Neville Hutton for Stephen Fein in 1986, with that year's Sardinia Cup and later, the 1987 Admiral's Cup, in mind. The design featured an aggressive approach to the IOR, with an apparent close attention to minimising weight and maximising any hull shape advantages available under the rule.  

Full Pelt during the 1987 British Admiral's Cup trials (photo Rick Tomlinson | Seahorse)

While those were traits employed on most of her serious competitors, Dubois took it further, with flat decks (presumably to lower the overall centre of gravity of the boat) and a minimum sized coachroof, that finished just aft of the mast. With no windows, halyards and other control lines were led aft along the side of the cabin, while halyard winches were mounted on the deck to lower their centre of gravity. As with many IOR boats of that era, Dubois extended the maximum beam at the deck aft and between the 'BA' and 'BAI' measurement stations so as to maximise the leverage of crew weight. This was a response, in part, to changes to the IOR in November the previous year regarding the effect of crew weight on stability ('CSAF'), which encouraged reductions to maximum beam ('BMAX').

Full Pelt alongside the Tony Castro designed Maiden Hong Kong in 1986, both showing distinctive kinks in the deckline between the BA and BAI measurement points (photo Seahorse/histoiredeshalfs.com)

Dubois was quoted at the time (in Yachting magazine) that the IOR incorporated a "silly rule" that produces such slab-sided yachts, but if the ORC hadn't changed the rule to try to control beam he would have designed even wider yachts for the 1986 season. Structurally, Full Pelt was simple but strong. Her flat deck (weighing just 0.6lb/sq.ft.) effectively resists compression forces where shroud tention tries to pull the sides of the hull together, while longitudinal members inside do a similar job for and aft, creating a light but rigid hull. To meet minimum headroom requirements, a boxy, windowless doghouse of flimsy construction is perched between the cockpit and the mast, its sides forming a convenient site for cleats to hold control lines that don't involve high loads.

Full Pelt during the 1986 Sardinia Cup (photo Bruce Banks Sails/Seahorse)

Full Pelt proved her pedigree and the designer's approach when she emerged as the top individual yacht in the 1986 Sardinia Cup. In a regatta where One Tonners filled seven of the first ten places (and comprised half of the fleet), Full Pelt revelled in the typically light airs. She displayed a boat speed advantage attributed to her small keel and low wetted surface area that provided good acceleration when puffs would arrive and allowed her to get out of trouble in difficult moments, while pushing her to the front when unopposed. Jo Richards and Geoff Meek worked together to make a formidable team, with Meek seeming to give the boat an injection of new life after a very disappointing showing in the 1986 One Ton Cup where the boat never featured in the results.

Full Pelt during the 1986 Sardinia Cup (photo One Ton Facebook page)

Full Pelt won both the short offshore and third Olympic race to boost her impressive individual performance for the British team, winning by 20 points over Germany's Rubin IX (with placings of 5/1/2/1/3). Supported by Marionette (15th) and Pocket Battleship (17th), Full Pelt led the British team to victory in the series over second-placed Germany. 

Full Pelt rounds a leeward mark during the 1986 Sardinia Cup (photo Seahorse)

The photographic record is unclear, but it seems that Full Pelt may have been altered after the Cup, with her original sloping transom remodelled and made more upright, but retaining the measured transom and deck intersection (the AGS measurement point) in the same position.  This would have allowed crew weight to be moved further aft when required. Many other yachts, such as the New Zealand One Tonners Propaganda and Fair Share, made similar amendments for the 1989 series.

Full Pelt during the 1986 Sardinia Cup (photo Bruce Banks Sails/Seahorse)

Full Pelt narrowly missed selection for the British team for the 1987 Admiral's Cup, with Flying Dutchman helmsman Joe Richards at the helm. After good early season performances, she lost impetus after losing her mast in the De Guingand Bowl event, the first race of the trials, allowing Jamarella and Juno to make the running. 

Full Pelt during the 1987 Admiral's Cup, as Irish Independent Full Pelt (photo Seahorse)

However, after sailing the Irish selection trials in the the chartered Irish Independent (ex-Mean Machine, ex-Rubin 85), Tom Power quickly negotiated a charter of Full Pelt when it became apparent that she was not going to make the British team. Power organised sponsorship with the Irish Independent newspaper, with the boat renamed as Irish Independent Full Pelt, and she joined another Dubois One Tonner, Jameson Whiskey and the bigger 34.2ft rating Turkish Delight (ex-Itzanotherpurla). She was skippered by Tim Goodbody as helmsman, but kept the bulk of Fein's original crew, including Dubois, Joe Richards and Graham Deegan.

Full Pelt in light airs and sporting her near transparent Banks no.1 genoa (photo Sailing Year 1987-88)

Irish Independent Full Pelt rounding Fastnet Rock during the 1987 Admiral's Cup - she made good time to the Rock and went on to win this ocean racing classic (photo by Michael Mac Sweeney)

Full Pelt had a somewhat average Admiral's Cup series overall, with results during the inshore and Channel Race of 13/15/18/31. However, she found her legs in the Fastnet race finale - Full Pelt two-sail reached to the Fastnet Rock along the rhumb line, while those who went west looking for a forecast windshift sailed needless additional miles. Unfortunately, as the main prizes were not at that time awarded to sponsored yachts, the Fastnet Trophy was awarded to second-placed Juno. Nevertheless, this result lifted her final placing to fifth overall, and elevated the Irish team to fourth overall. An interesting and recent postscript to Full Pelt's Fastnet Race achievement, and a late award of first place, can be seen here.

Irish Independent Full Pelt seen here in Queen Annes Battery Marina in Plymouth after winning the 1987 Fastnet race (photo Shockwave40 blog)

Full Pelt seen here in Sandhamm, Sweden, before the 1988 Gotland Runt offshore race (photo Facebook)

Full Pelt seen here racing in Kiel in 1989 (photo Bateaux magazine)

Full Pelt was acquired by Swedish yachtsman Bo Bernholm for the 1989 Admiral's Cup, sailing alongside the former New Zealand 43-footer Kiwi and Greve Duckula. The boat underwent a major refit, with a new mast and rigging, keel, rudder and deck layout for the series, but despite still being fast in light airs, she had a disappointing regatta, finishing in 38th place (of 42), with placings of 14/39/35/25/37/39. The Swedish team finished 12th overall.

Full Pelt was chartered for the Swedish team for the 1989 Admiral's Cup, seen here leaving Lymington Marina (photo Shockwave40 blog)

Her history from that time onwards is undocumented, but she has been featured recently on the One Ton Class Facebook page, and appears to have been upgraded and is now looking like new.

Full Pelt as seen in 2016 and following a recent upgrade, and below sailing off Denmark in 2017 (photo One Ton Facebook page)

As seen in July 2022, lying in Faaborg, Denmark (photo Facebook)