IRC Handicap has been in official use since 1984. and it was derived from ''Channel Rules of Sailing''.

It is officially recognized and registered by ISAF and its formula owners and administrators are UNCL – Paris and RORC – London equally.

Formula has been succesfully kept in secret since the begining and there is no yacht designed and constructed by IRC formula whatsoever.

Main goal of the IRC handicap is to protect existing fleet and enable every individual yacht to equally compete in the races. Handicap stimulates safety and seaworthiness of the yachts but discourages unnecessary expense at all levels.

Administrators dispose of huge data records of all known designs and their archive has been updated regularly enabling them to prevent any manipulation in handicap rating. Any unlogical data is identified easily. Unless the boat has been officialy measured by authorised IRC memasurer and thus obtained ''Endorsed IRC Certificate'' it is in administrators' discretion to determine handicap for each and every boat on the basis of average data for that type of yacht.

IRC handicap require simple measuring so average yachtman can easily perform it and fill-in respective application form accordingly.

Handicap is calculated in 2, in case of need 3 decimals and corrected time is calculated on ''Time on Time' basis, i.e. multiplying efective time by TCC (IRC Rating).

IRC Rules, Measurement instructions, Notes for race Organizers and other impotrant information are published in IRC Yearbooks regularly.

For all those reasons it is obvious why all traditional world known regattas are raced under IRC handicap.