With great regret the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club announces that the 18th Annual RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup has been postponed to 2021 due to the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
First held in 2002, the RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup brings together male and female sailors aged 12 to 15 from around the world for a multi-race series in the Optimist dinghy. The regatta was founded as a means to give Bermuda’s youth sailors a taste of international competition, and it has proven valuable in forging lasting friendships as the international sailors are housed with Bermudians.
Given the importance of social distancing in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and the various travel restrictions that are in place around the world, the decision was made to forgo this year’s event. The obstacles proved too challenging to warrant inviting 15 to 20 teenagers to Bermuda given the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic.
“At the end of the day the risks involved did not match the reward as the full experience of the Junior Gold Cup would not be realized in 2020,” said event organizer Dede Cooper. “It was a difficult decision and one that makes me sad as this is such a wonderful event for the youth sailors.
“As always, we are grateful to RenaissanceRe for their continuing support and look forward to welcoming everyone back to Bermuda sometime in 2021 for the 18th RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup,” Cooper said.
An announcement on the dates for 2021 will be made in due course.
Sunday, August 02, 2020
Evans and Kleist Compete in Queensland Finn Championships
IslandStats.com
Rockal Evans and Larry Kleist competed in the Queensland Finn State Championships out of Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in Australia, flying the Bermuda Flag.
Evans finished 5th overall and was second in the Open Category up to 40 years, while Kleist was 13th overall and was 5th in the Grand Masters 50 – 59 Age Group Division.
A total of 35 boats competed in the 4 race series, with Evans finishing with 18 Net Points, after finishes of 7th in the first race, 5th in the second race, 6th in the third race and he threw out his 9th place finish in the final race.
Kleist finished with 36 Net Points, he would finish 8th in race one, 15th in race two, 13th in race three and he threw out his 18th place finish in the fourth and final race.
Curtis and Furbert sailed to victory in a time of 2:29.28 edging out Stephen Dickinson and Anderica Gilbert by just two seconds.
Following the race, the pair told www.islandstats.com, they dedicated the win to the late Colin Clarke.
Curtis and Furbert said, “We did not get the start we were looking for, even coming out the Town Cut Channel in last place, but we just decided to take it a boat at a time and we finally got in front just off Devonshire and we just had to be smart from there and cover.”
Thursday, July 30, 2020
Maxwell Curtis Wins Edward Cross Long Distance Comet Race
Curtis & Furbert in action
IslandStats.com
The 2020 Edward Cross Long Distance Race got underway in bright and sunny skies in the St. George’s Harbor. First out of the town cut channel was Gladwin Lambert and his crew Stefan Maybury, followed by Rudy Bailey, with Stephen Dickinson right behind.
The trio remained in the positions as the made their way around Fort St. Catherine heading for the oil docks
At the oil docks, things changed a bit with Bailey taking the lead with Dickinson in second and Lambert had fallen a distance back in third.
As the fleet approached Flatt’s, Bailey had taken full control of the race, with Maxwell Curtis in second, Lambert in third and Dickinson in fourth.
Curtis was able to sail past Bailey just off Devonshire and open up a four-boat length lead, while Dickinson made a tack to try and line himself up for one straight run to the finish line.
Curtis and Bailey had to make another tack to come back to Dickinson and Lambert, Bailey decoded a short tack which costed him, while Curtis went across to where Dickinson was and rolled on top of him and from there it was a sprint to the line with Curtis needing one more tack to just edge Dickinson by two seconds.
Edward Cross Long Distance Race
2:29.28 Maxwell Curtis/Stefan Furbert – Pole Position 2:29.30 Stephen Dickinson/Anderica Gilbert – Kitty Hawk 2:30.38 Rudy Bailey/Carey Bean – My Mary 2:31.12 Gladwin Lambert/Stefan Maybury – Melody 2:31.33 Dale Brangman/Tajahari Rodgers – 2:35.05 Scott Fox/Joanna Santiago – Get the Cat 2:40.15 Anthony Smith/Shawn Bremar – Rebel 2:40.39 Lorenzo Lambert/Gregory Wade – Sea Hawk 2:41.46 Quinton Simons/Gregory Proctor – Stir de Pot 2:45.39 Zaniko Henderick/Zanikae Hendrickson – Radical 2:48.03 George Hayward/Mickai Brangman – Mai Lucy 3:00.29 Antoine Wingood/Fred Bulford – Swizzle 3:07.18 Jakal Washington/Jason Sukdeo – Lady Commodore
Monday, July 27, 2020
Decision on Hosting Bermuda Gold Cup 2020 on August 31st
IslandStats.com
Organizers for the Bermuda Gold Cup, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club’s $100,000 match racing regatta, have set August 31st as the deadline to decide whether this year’s event, the planned 70th competition for the King Edward VII Trophy, will take place.
The Bermuda Gold Cup, presented by Argo Group for the benefit of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS), is scheduled October 25th-30th. The event of the World Match Racing Tour had been scheduled in May until the novel coronavirus COVID-19 forced the closing of Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport in March as Bermuda's Government prohibited non-residents from entering the island. A field of 16 crews, between 65 and 70 sailors, is planned in addition to other personnel, both local and international.
“Our primary concern is the safety and health of the participants, the Club members and staff, Bermudians as a whole, and of course we defer to the Bermuda Government and their health experts to help frame those standards and protocols,” said regatta chairperson Leatrice Oatley in a letter addressed to competitors. “We have decided that August 31st will be our BGC ‘Go/No-Go’ date to make a decision based on the COVID criteria.”
The criteria being monitored relate to travel, both globally as well as to and from Bermuda, quarantining, both in a competitor’s home country and in Bermuda, testing availability, local boating restrictions with regards to social distancing and accommodations.
Oatley noted that the criteria are dynamic and constantly changing. She added that Bermuda is working to find a new normal in the larger global scheme.
“Bermuda has fared well to date, partly through the closing of the airports from mid-March to July 1st, but also from some aggressive shelter in place legislation and testing protocols,” Oatley said. “On July 1st Bermuda entered Phase 4, including the return of commercial flights. Testing refinements of residents and visitors returning to the island are being fine-tuned and sailing is easing back to the new normalcy, as are other aspects of island life.”
