World Sailing's Offshore Special Regulations have been updated for 2026–2027, bringing changes to lifejacket standards, communications equipment, EPIRBs and storm sail specifications among others.
If you're racing offshore this season, now is the time to check that your boat and crew meet the current requirements.
One requirement that still applies to crew is a recognised personal safety qualification. Irish Sailing's Offshore Personal Safety and Sea Survival course meets World Sailing's Appendix G requirements
and is available at Training Centres around the country- covering survival techniques, life raft procedures, distress signalling and man-overboard response.
Get appropriately trained ahead of the summer racing calendar and find your nearest training provider at sailing.ie.
Summary of amendments to the Offshore Sailing Regulations that have been made are highlighted below for ease of reference.
- OSR 3.02- Watertight and Structural Integrity of a Boat & Keel and Rudder Inspection
- OSR 3.03- Hull Construction Standards (Scantlings)
- OSR 3.04- Stability – Monohulls
- OSR 3.29- Communications Equipment, GPS, Radar, AIS
- OSR 4.02- Search and Rescue Visibility
- OSR 4.07 – Flashlights and Searchlights
- OSR 4.19- EPIRBs
- OSR 4.27- Storm & Heavy Weather Sail Specifications
- OSR 5.01- Lifejacket
- Contained in Appendix B- Special Regulations for Inshore Racing
- Contained in Appendix C- Special Regulations for Inshore Dinghy Racing
- Contained in Appendix L- Model Keel and Rudder Inspection Procedure
- Contained in Appendix M- Optional Wording for Organising Authorities’ NoRs or Sis
The regulations featuring significant changes are also marked in red in the Offshore Special Regulations document which can be found by clicking on the document link here.