Your ORR certificate shows one of two crew weight figures: Rated Crew Weight (RCW) or Base Crew Weight (BCW). ORR ratings for the Pacific Cup utilize unmeasured BCW figures based only on whether boats are fully-crewed or double-handed. BCW is used because offshore crews are usually smaller than buoy racing teams, and because of the administrative difficulties in gathering exact, reliable crew weights. BCW is the standard for West coast ocean races, including the Transpac.

New for 2026, we are allowing boats below a certain rating limit limit to choose between ORR and PHRF for their rating. This means that the Pacific Cup will be awarded in two editions.

YRA's site for this stuff is here: http://www.yra.org/PHRF/

For the overall PHRF Pacific Cup trophy, you need also to get your rating certified, with details here: http://www.yra.org/PHRF/ncphrf_certifiedratings.html If you do not do that, you are not eligible for the overall prize.

You must be prepared to complete the race without help, even with surprises.  Those who do not feel competent to address unforeseen situations should not venture offshore.

That rather harsh statement aside, we take seriously the moral and legal obligation of mariners to come to each other's aid.  The Pac Cup organizers, comms boat, and fellow sailors expect to work to provide communications links, advice, moral support, or direct physical aid where this can be done effectively and safely.

Only the required percentage of crew attending the USSailing/ISAF-certified Safety at Sea Seminars.

On the other hand, our optional seminars contain a host of useful information.

Seventy boats has been our annual limit.  This represents a number that KYC can handle, and it keeps our race sized right from PCYC's point of view.  We have had to go to a waiting list in some years, but we've always been able to squeeze everybody in.

Maybe.  Your inspector may ask for a demo, and some inspectors do this routinely. This typically is conducted with the main rudder tightly locked on centerline; the emergency steering is then used to execute 180 degree course changes to port and starboard without adjusting the main rudder lock or lashing.

We try to cluster the finishes around Sunday through Tuesday of the finishing week.  Sail faster than your rating, and you will finish sooner. Earliest boats will likely finish Saturday.

And, of course the converse is true.  Stragglers, or boats with problems may finish as late as the awards party or even a day or two later.

Tentatively, July 6, 2022, for the slowest boats in our fleet.  Faster boats will start later that week.  We generally pick start dates to get everybody to finish the week of July 20 if everyone sails exactly to their rating.  Exact start dates will be set around May.