CIM VS IRC
owners and others, including the British Classic Yacht
Club, which has raced under IRC since it was founded
17 years ago. Club commodore David Murrin said:
“CIM is not a rating rule, but a compromise. It rewards
the look of a boat, which is a subjective and at times
political judgement unrelated to the theoretical speed of
the yacht. It is no surprise that the best-sailed boats do
not necessarily win and that the fleet is full of anomalies.
In my view this is not fair to owner and crew.”
He favoured the transparency of an IRC rating, which
is based on Royal Ocean Racing Club measurers
submitting a yacht’s data.
However, CIM has many supporters, including broker
Barney Sandeman, who says: “You’ll never find the
perfect system because you have boats from different
eras. However, the Med fleet has blossomed under CIM.
IRC is for modern boats. It doesn’t suit old rigs and it
will take the boats further from what they should be.”
Mike Horsley of Edmiston’s classic yacht division has
raced his yacht Outlaw on the Med circuit for more than
20 years. He says: “CIM has always quite rightly given
priority to the historical legacy of classic yachts,
favouring their continued authenticity over issues of
speed and ease of handling. If you want to go fast with a
small crew, buy a modern yacht!
“The issue of owners/professionals at the wheel is
nigh on impossible to regulate and is therefore an
unwelcome complication. Let’s just get on and have fun,
in safely sailing these beautiful vessels, and just fine-tune
what is already a very worthwhile rating system.”
Tim Goodbody, skipper of the NY40 Rowdy, said:
“CIM does not account for the performance of a yacht
across the spectrum of conditions. Meanwhile IRC
favours certain hull shapes – if your displacement/length
ratio is in a certain band you do better in IRC.”
Yann Joannon, director of Les Voiles d’Antibes, said:
“As an organiser, we have seen that CIM has done
incredible work over the last 20 years, proven by the
growing number of yachts and events, but we should
always bear in mind owners’ requests. Our events should
keep their fun, competitive and fair spirit.”
Jérôme Nutte, principal race officer of Les Régates
Royales Cannes, said: “The organisers and the sponsors
are aware there are things to evolve, so that it becomes
more accurate, because of the evolution of the boats.”
André Beaufils, who brings classic and modern yachts
together at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, said: “All rating
systems could be improved and everyone wants to be
able to win. The situation for a classic regatta is
complex; there is more to consider than finding a
mathematical solution to resolve all the problems.
Competitors will always find the rating rule unfair.”DAVID MURRIN, BCYC COMMODORE
The British Classic Yacht Club is investigating the
possibility of launching an offshoot of the IRC rating
system for classic yachts.
Commodore David Murrin said: “With the mass of
data that the BCYC has compiled over our 17-year
history of racing classic yachts under IRC, and the
recognition that classic yachts are a small and unique
sub-set of the IRC database, most of which have high
displacement/length ratios, we are researching the
development of our own handicap system that will
have a slight modification to a base IRC certificate.
“The additional variables will be based on sailcloths
and a factor related to sail area upwind and
downwind, waterline length and displacement. This
would remove some of the small anomalies that IRC
does not deal with when heavy classics are concerned,
such as ketches upwind.”
He added: “Recognising that IRC has the potential
to optimise yachts and in so doing shift them away
from the ideal CIM ‘museum afloat’ look, the BCYC in
2017 took the decision to split its regatta awards and
recognise yachts in two ways. Firstly, for racing
performance and secondly through a Concours
d’Elégance, which rewards good looks and
authenticity. It is vital that the racing and the concours
are judged independently – unlike CIM.”
He backed Trouble’s proposal to introduce IRC on
the Mediterranean circuit, saying it would encourage
Med yachts to travel north to race in the Solent and
BCYC yachts to travel south.“CIM has always quite rightly given
priority to the historical legacy
of classic yachts, favouring their
continued authenticity”
MIKE HORSLEY OF EDMISTON’S CLASSIC YACHT DIVISION“IRC favours certain hull shapes – if
your displacement/length ratio is in a
certain band you do better in IRC”
TIM GOODBODY, SKIPPER OF THE NY40 ROWDY“All rating systems could be
improved and everyone wants
to be able to win”
ANDRÉ BEAUFILS, LES VOILES DE SAINT-TROPEZ