What are Polar Diagrams?
Polar diagrams help you predict how fast you’ll sail for a given wind angle and wind speed.
Polar Diagrams are used for three systems in Orca: Laylines, Instruments, and Routing. Accurate polars make these systems better, so you want to use representative polars.
For more general information about polars, see the Polar Diagram article.
How do I set up my Polar Diagram in Orca?
From Main Menu > My Boat > Polar Performance, you’ll have two options:
Search for your boat or boat type in the ORC database
Set up a Custom Polar Diagram
Offshore Race Committee (ORC) Polars
If you have an ORC certificate, or if your boat type is in the ORC database, you should use an ORC polar as a starting point for your polar in Orca.
Keep in mind that your ORC polar may not represent your actual performance. Even if you have an ORC certificate for your specific boat, you may find yourself in need of adjusting your polars via the Custom Polars screen.
Custom Polars
If your boat type is not in the ORC database, you can create a custom Custom Polar.
When creating a Custom Polar Diagram, you’ll first be asked to enter performance targets for 10 knots wind speed. From your 10 knots polar, Orca will extrapolate your performance targets to the remaining wind speeds from 6 to 20 knots. After this, you can edit your polar freely.
Polar Diagrams are synced between all your devices when connected to the internet.