In my haste to report on what appeared to be a potential rules issue, I jumped the gun, unaware of a couple of rule twists that apply elsewhere, but not specific to this situation. Thanks to Chris Tutmark at US Sailing, as he brought to my attention that ORR doesn’t have a specific rule against any staysails, and Pac Cup uses the US SERs which do not include the Storm Jib prohibition that was instigated by IRC last year. Damn, I thought i had a breaking story! Apologies to Zeus for my misunderstanding of the rules.
It is a good time, however to point out that this is another example – as if we needed it – that offshore racing needs a set of rules that apply to EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE, and AT ALL TIMES. They don’t play baseball by different rules in Japan and the US – or even in Cuba – and we shouldn’t in this sport either.
Here is the Infinity 52 Zeus blasting their way to Hawaii during the Pac Cup which is underway as we speak. Note that they appear to be flying their storm jib as a staysail. However, under ORR (Offshore Racing Rule) and World Sailing’s Offshore Special Regulations (OSR) adopted for 2026, you cannot use a storm jib as a staysail in conjunction with another sail.
But as I pointed out above, they are good to go. And go they are!
