Not all boats that compete in the Race to Mackinac are the same – in fact, besides one-design classes, most of the boats are very different! Thus, in order to compete fairly, the race is governed by a rating rule so boats of various sizes can compete against one another.

The Race to Mackinac is governed by the ORC (Offshore Rating Congress: either ORCc or ORCi) for monohulls and GLMRA (Great Lakes Multihull Racing Association) for multihulls. All boats that enter the Race must hold a respective rating certificate issued by their respective authority (ORCc, ORCi, or GLMRA) which is submitted with your entry.

For Multihulls, applications can may be requested from:

GLMRA
www.glmra.org
GLMRA.Ratings@gmail.com

For Monohulls, you can learn about ORC ratings and submit your application for an ORC rating certificate:

US Sailing Offshore Office
www.ussailing.org/competition/offshore/orc/
If you require additional help, you can contact the office at offshore@ussailing.org

The Offshore Office will begin accepting applications in December and expects to begin processing ratings in February when the latest version of the VPP (velocity prediction program) is available. Check on their website (above) to stay up to date. 

If you have never had an ORC rating, you can search the ORC database to see if your same boat model has had a rating anywhere else. If there is still no record of a rating for your vessel, simply contact the Offshore Office to get started.

Contact the US Sailing Offshore Office, and they can put you in touch with a measurer in your area, or one who would be willing to travel. Make sure to plan this process early since much of the work will need to be done after your boat is in the water, and the time window is short between launch season and the race. Make sure to complete everything else in your application and inform the Offshore Office that you are expecting to be measured in the spring. There is no reason to hold up your entire application for only a few parts of it. As long as you have the rest of your application complete, and you have been in contact with the Offshore Office to make them aware of your coming measurement, we can consider that a complete application. 

You can begin the process at: www.ussailing.org/competition/offshore/services/#measurement-certification

Email the US Sailing Offshore Office (offshore@ussailing.org), and let them know you bought a boat which you believe is already in their system. Include a previous certificate if you have one. They will likely be able to transfer the boat to your email in their system. They may wish to make the transfer before their application window opens. 

Transferring the boat to your email address can save you work, and make it easier on their end, too. When the office is ready for applications, you'll be able to do something closer to a renewal, rather than a brand-new application from scratch. Much of the info they need about your boat will already be in the application for you as it can carry over with a renewal. Of course, you will be able to make updates - sails, owner, etc. - with your ‘renewal.’

Yes. No changes to rating certificates are permitted after June 30, 2026 other than as described in NoR. In addition, any changes after June 1, 2026 will need to be authorized by the Technical Committee.