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A yacht rating system for everybody
VPRS is a rating system that enables monohull yachts to race fairly against one another.

Proved through testing and extensive use over the last 14 years, VPRS offers yacht clubs a single system which is easy to use and gives accurate ratings across a vast range of yacht types – including sportsboats – based only upon measurement data.

The data is used to configure a Velocity Prediction Program (VPP) which predicts the boat's speed for a range of wind speeds and directions. Then it calculates a Time Correction Coefficient (TCC) from these, which is used to correct elapsed times in a race.

Best of all, we provide a fast and friendly service at an annual charge of just £25 for any boat—and we will help you to gather the data you need to get a rating certificate.

Originally developed for PYRA in 2009, VPRS is used by all the major clubs in Poole Harbour as well as clubs in Chichester Harbour, the Solent, Weymouth, Plymouth, the Isle of Man and Ireland. We also have keen users Brazil and in the Mediterranean.

For some background information there is a Quick summary  or a  2 page overview


Get ready for 2024
The latest iteration of the VPRS system was reased on 9 January and by 15 March no less than 111 boats had been rated for 2024. We are especially pleased to welcome the Cruiser 4 and 5 classes from Dublin Bay Sailing Club. You can read about it: here.

Updates to the system for 2024 have introduced some important changes, bringing VPRS in line with other international rating systems.

The biggest is that we have brought in the ability to record and rate spinnakers and flying headsails such as Code Zeros separately. The "tack type" field has gone and all the measurement data has been re-processed so that boats that were rated with a spinnaker pole now have their former downwind headsail shown as a spinnaker. Boats that had a tack type of either "Bow sprit" or "Deck" now have their former downwind sail shown as a flying headsail. Boats with a tack type of "None" are unaffected, because they were rated without a downwind headsail.

A number of boats were rated for both a spinnaker AND a flying headsail (such as a Code 0). We used to have slighty imperfect work-around to manage this configuration. The new system is a big step forward. If you are in this category please get in touch to make sure we have correct measurement data for both sails, and both the spinnaker pole length (SPL) and the tack length (FHTL—the equivalent of J) for the flying headsail. Note that you can't have a "free" Code 0: you must record the measurement for both sails.

The second change is to the way we give credit for a roller-reefing upwind headsail. In the new system the credit depends to a greater extent upon the overlap of the sail: those with a No.1 Genoa with a large overlap will receive full credit, reflecting the reduced efficiency of the sail as it is reefed on the roller. Sails with a smaller overlap will receive a progressively smaller credit.

We have also introduced a new data field, called "Boom Above Sheer" (BAS). BAS is used by a number of other rating systems and in fact it has always been present in VPRS, but in the interests of simplicity we just used a standardised estimate. It won't make a lot of difference except for boats that have a very high or a very low boom—so if that's you, or if you happen to know your BAS measurement, please let us know. Otherwise you will simply see the estimated measurement we have used all along.

More information on these changes can be found in the measurement guide.

VPRS 2023 racing





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