COVID-19 Event Adjustments

Northern California

The new ‘shelter in place’ order affecting much of the Bay Area has prompted the Bay Area Multihull Association to cancel or postpone the Doublehanded Farallones Race. “We have been forced to cancel the 2020 Doublehanded Farallones Race that had been scheduled for March 28,” writes BAMA commodore Truls Myklebust. “Given the shorthanded format with just two people on each boat, we had been working hard to find alternate solutions that would allow us to still run the race. But in the light of the shelter-in-place order, we have no choice but to cancel the race. We are going to try to find an alternate race date in the fall.”

The Pacific Cup YC will conduct webinars in lieu of in-person seminars. The first, on March 19 at 7:30 p.m., will feature Sail Selection, Use and Repair with Seadon Wijsen of North Sails. Sign up here.

The Singlehanded Sailing Society is similarly discussing moving their seminars for the Singlehanded Transpacific Race to a conference-call system. We’ll update our readers with details when we get them.

From Jillian Humphreys at Stockton Sailing Club: “Some of the SSC Regatta events both on and off the water have been postponed. The following Regatta Events will be rescheduled for a later date when more information becomes available: March 19th Fleet Night; March 21st Spring Series #1; March 28th Overnight Race; April 4th Spring Series #2.”

Sequoia YC in Redwood City has temporarily closed for the duration of the Shelter-in-Place order issued March 16 by the San Mateo County Health Department. The club has canceled junior sailing, cruise-outs, races and events, including:

• March 22: Singlehanded/Doublehanded Series Race #1
• March 28: Redwood Cup Series Race #5
• March 29: Spring Tuneup #1
• April 1: Racing Rules Seminar
• April 4: Summer Series Race #1
• April 8: Sunset Series Kickoff Dinner

Benicia YC’s Ship’s Locker Clean-Out Swap Meet on March 28 and Opening Day on the Strait on April 18 have been postponed to a later date.

We’ve just learned that Shoreline Lake, a popular small-boat sailing venue in Mountain View; Modern Sailing School & Club in Sausalito; and OCSC Sailing School in Berkeley are closed until April 7.

Southern California

The Newport Ocean Racing Association’s board of directors unanimously voted to reschedule the 73rd annual Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race for April 23, 2021. “All current 2020 paid entrants are now automatically registered as 2021 competitors with no action required. Entrants may also request a refund or elect for a tax-deductible donation of their fee to aid with NOSA’s 2020 incurred expenses by emailing [email protected].” The race had been on the calendar for April 24-26, 2020.

We were looking forward to a report from the gorgeous America’s Schooner Cup on March 28 to again grace the pages of our May issue, but Silver Gate YC in San Diego has had to cancel that event as well. Like the Bay Area, San Diego is now telling folks over 65 to stay home. Many of the event committee members and most of the participating schooner owners and crew are over 65. The ASC is a charity fundraiser benefiting the  Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.

Mexico

The Banderas Bay Regatta has been postponed In response to public health concerns over the COVID-19 virus, the Vallarta YC executive committee has made the difficult decision to postpone BBR XXVIII indefinitely. The cruiser-friendly event had been scheduled for March 24-28.

Also on Banderas Bay, MEXORC did go on, with racing wrapping up today.

Clipper Race Postponed 10 Months

The Clipper Race around the world was to have departed Subic Bay and the island of Luzon in the Philippines on March 21, heading across the Pacific Ocean to Seattle. However, with Seattle in a state of emergency and “medical insurance restrictions in the United States,” organizers scrapped that plan. “We could not allow our teams to depart without a viable destination,” announced the organizing committee. “This, along with the growing global uncertainty on how the situation could develop in the coming months, meant postponing the race was the safest option for all involved.

“The Clipper 2019-20 Race has three legs remaining. These race stages will now be postponed for approximately 10 months, when the remaining circumnavigation will be completed. This length of postponement allows for us to avoid adverse weather patterns on the remainder of our global route. All Leg 6, 7 and 8 crew, along with our circumnavigators, will be able to rejoin the race when it resumes next year. This postponement will have an impact on the timing of future races. The next full edition of the Clipper Race will start in the summer of 2022. More details on this will be confirmed at a later date.”

“We are pleased to announce that the quarantine of our crew in Subic Bay has now been lifted and they are able to leave the marina,” reads the official statement. “All crew have travel arranged home, with some already on their way. It is expected that all Clipper Race staff who have been overseeing the complex logistics involved will be traveling back to the UK by Friday 20 March. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year when the race resumes.”

The Latest America’s Cup Disagreement Resolved

The office of the Italian Challenger of Record, Luna Rossa, just sent this press release:

“Following the submission to the America’s Cup Arbitration Panel by the New York Yacht Club / American Magic regarding its participation in the ACWS Sardegna – Cagliari and the subsequent responses of COR 36, the Defender and INEOS Team UK, the Panel published today its decision, summarised as follows.

“Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictive measures imposed by various governments the Panel has decided that it has become objectively impossible to hold the ACWS Sardegna – Cagliari event from the 23rd to the 26th of April 2020 and has cancelled the event, relieving the competitors and the organizers from their obligations arising out from the Protocol.

“The Panel has also decided that it does not have the power to postpone the ACWS Sardegna – Cagliari, to impose the organization of additional ACWS events or to rule that any sailing blackouts not provided for in the Protocol should occur, since it does not have the power to change the Protocol.

“A postponement of the ACWS Sardegna – Cagliari could therefore only be achieved with the mutual agreement of the Challenger of Record and the Defender. As the Defender was not prepared to agree to a change of date of the ACWS Sardinia-Cagliari, the event is now definitely cancelled.” Got that?

“For the complete decision ACAP36/07 click here: https://bit.ly/33tHnen.” Have fun reading that while you’re sheltering in place.