The Hellenic Offshore Racing Club was established on 1961 in Piraeus. Its primary and constitutional aim is to spread and promote offshore sailing throughout Greece. Since its establishment and for many years on, it was the only sailing club exclusively involved in offshore sailing. The clubhouse is sited in Mikrolimano, Piraeus, a very traditional and local colored area near Athens.
The clubhouse main building hosts all administrative activities, the student's club, lecture and tutorial rooms, the members club, the library, and the Aegean special events and activities room and terrace.

The club's sailboats are docked in Mikrolimano moorings, together with a number of boats belonging to club members.

The club is organizing many big annual sailing races, but the most famous is the Aegean Rally or International Aegean Sailing Week (IASW). This race, being the boldest sailing event in Greece since 1964, gathers contestants from around the world as well as all of Greece's top sailing teams.

Apart from these racing activities, HORC is operating an Offshore Racing School since 1969, including 4 different courses, run 6 times a year. There are more than 20000 graduates to date. The school includes special Racing and Advanced courses, taught by sailing champions and specialists. There is also an annual Skippers course for those graduates that have sailed over 1500 miles and wish to become professionals.

Other international sailing events organized by HORC are:

Offshore International Championship for 1/2 Ton boats, in 1982, in conjunction with Nautical Club of Greece, sponsored by DUNHILL.

International Championship for MINI TON boats, in 1984, taking place in Corfu.
International Championship for 3/4 Ton boats, in 1989, in conjunction with Nautical Club of Athens, sponsored by 'ETHNIKI ASFALISTIKI' SA and 'ELLINIKOS NIOGNOMON' SA.
On top of its local activities, HORC is expanding its services to the county region. One of HORC's sailing boats has been moved to Thessaloniki, to a newly established Sailing School in 1971, in conjunction with Nautical-Athletic Club of Kalamaria. There are over 500 graduates from this school, that later formed the nucleus of sailing in Northern Greece.

Since 1979, there have been new HORC sailing schools in Heraklion and Hania in Crete, in conjunction with the local Nautical Club of Hania, as well as Kalymnos, Kos, and Rhodes. These sailing schools are still in operation with great success.
What's more, in 1976 HORC established a branch in Corfu that counts more than 150 members and operates a sailing school with over 1000 graduates. and in 1984 started operating a HORC branch in Chalkis. The Chalkis branch now has more than 70 members, and a sailing school that has trained more than 200 sailors to date.

Due to success in Crete a new branch was established in Rethymno in 1991, with a sailing school operating 2 courses: beginners and advanced. Later on, in 1994 a new branch was added in Ierapetra.

Also, in 1992 there was a new HORC branch in Gythio with the corresponding sailing school. More was yet to come: In 1996 started a branch in Pylos, and in Hydra, in 1997 in Kastelorizo, in 1998 in Leros and Agathonisi, in 2000 in Psara, in 2001 in Ios and Lefkada, and 2004 in Amorgos all with great sucess.

Since 1987, HORC is publishing a tri-monthly journal called "Istioploikos Cosmos", i.e. 'Sailing World', in approximately 3.500 copies per issue. The journal contains various articles on Sailing in Greece, as well as other relative subjects. The journal is posted free of charge to all major relative authorities, the government, sailing clubs, etc. and to all the members and graduates of the club.

At the same time, HORC in collaboration with the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and the University of Pireas, is organising lectures and seminars.

In conclusion, it must be said that HORC represents Greece to the International Offshore Committee in Mediterranean for the last 25 years.