Continuing Attention to the Virus

Fellow Sailors


With the recent "shelter in place" order, the need to pay even closer attention to the ongoing progress of the issue is obvious.  At last night's board meeting, this was a very well-discussed topic. Here is where we stand:
  1. We are suspending inspections and in-person events. As the length of these suspensions becomes clear, we will modify deadlines to take account of them.
  2. We are postponing the March weigh-in event. This may make things complex, but again, we will adjust.
  3. We are freezing certain "drop out or lose money" deadlines as of March 1.
  4. We have cancelled the in-person Pacific Offshore Academy meetings and will be providing the content as webinars.
  5. Board meetings now done by on-line video
Of course, the big question is "will there be a race?" or "will there be parties?"

As of today, we do not have a clear answer to that.  We believe the next few weeks will be very instructive as to the course of the epidemic.

We expect to know considerably more about where we stand around the week of April 7-14. If measures being imposed are effective, the rate of spread may be sufficiently attenuated, and medical measures in place, that this is a manageable issue.

On the other hand, if the disease is endemic and continues to deliver a high rate of fatality, then a long voyage away from medical care may be ill-advised. Those in high-risk groups may wish to avoid that situation even assuming the race continues.

We will keep you apprised of our thinking on this event.  We generally believe that the situation will be clearer in early to mid April. At that time (and on an ongoing basis) we'll be evaluating the advisability of continuing the race. The evaluation will be based on a number of factors:
  • Safety of competitors in making the voyage
  • Safety of host clubs, committees and volunteers, as well as other event participants
  • Feasibility of completing needed pre-race activities, including weighing and inspection
  • Impact on participants' ability to prepare for a safe passage
In some cases, we can substitute, modify, or waive certain requirements and still put on a race that is safe, fair, and fun. As long as we can do that, we plan on holding the race!

We'll keep you posted as we review developing issues. In early April, we may have a clear signal, or we may need to continue to monitor the situation a little longer.

As always, if you have questions or thoughts on the topic, please feel free to share them with me at commodore@pacificcup.org

Mahalo!
Michael
Burgee

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