The following IRC Rule changes were approved by Congress in October 2017:
- In Rule 21.5 the ‘default’ values for mainsail widths have been deleted as this was inconsistent with the Rule on headsails.
- The Dayboat Definition and Rule 24 have been deleted, as IRC cannot and should not judge OSR compliance.
- The final sentence of Rule 8.2.1 has been corrected to reflect the intention of the Rule on short-handed certificates.
- Rule 13.2 has been changed in accordance with IRC Notice 2017-01, relating to sail measurement batten length.
- Rule 17.1 now clarifies that cushions are only relevant to measurement condition if carried while racing.
- Rules 21.2.1 (Rig Factor) and 22.2.1 (Hull Factor) have been updated to reflect actual practice.
- Definitions have been added for the measurement of lifting foils, to reflect the increased use of these and development of how they are rated.
- Other changes are: deletion of the IRC Headsail Head Point definition as this is now identically defined in ERS; a correction to the Advertising Code reference in Rule 26.1; and confirmation that in Southern Hemisphere countries the new IRC Rule does not come into force until June 2018 (the exception is Rule 13.2 as Notice 2017-01 applied with immediate effect from May 2017).