We currently are continuing to plan for the race to start as intended on July 11, 2021 but COVID-19 has us cautious about being able to host the race in its traditional form.

We have two significant challenges that need to be overcome for us to proceed.

The Canada-US border continues to be closed to non-essential travel. Our communications and resources have advised us that there is no set timeframe for the border to re-open, quite simply, it is data dependent.

In addition to this, Nova Scotia has had a 14-day quarantine rule in place since very early on in this pandemic. The province has been extremely cautious about tourism and travel into the province, which is why they have one of the lowest case levels in Canada. This too is data dependent on when the province will allow travel from other parts of Canada and internationally without quarantine.

For the race to proceed on its traditional course we need to have both items resolved for the clubs to have time to get in place all the necessary items needed to hold a world class ocean race.

We also understand that as a race participant, preparing your yacht and crew does not happen overnight. Typically, at this time in the schedule you are beginning to book accommodations, working on safety courses, completing your yachts upgrades and of course, figuring out how you’ll deal with the rhumb line! If we continue to push the race without providing clarity, we believe that our participant count will stagnate or potentially decrease because yachts will not have ample time to prepare.

Because of this, we have currently deemed that a decision on the race will need to be made by mid-April and we have committed to providing you with guidance on the decision of the race by Friday April 9, 2021. 

As with other sailing events over the past year, if we are able to hold the race it will look different. Large social gatherings, such as the skippers meeting and awards ceremony would become virtual, or open to a limited number of guests.  We believe that being able to have a race, even if it has a different feel than in years past, would be well received. 

Nothing can compare to the 10am departure from Marblehead Harbor heading to the start line with the camaraderie between the yachts and anticipation of the race ahead. However, if we are not able to host the race in its traditional form the Boston Yacht Club and Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron are working on alternative plans for ocean racing within our respective borders.

Each club is planning to host a distance race that can help us keep the spirit of the race alive. The start of these alternative races would be approximately the same date and distances are still to be determined. These races would be independent of each other so the normal trophies would stay in their cases until 2023.  Once a decision is made on the official race more information will be provided on the alternative options.

We appreciate your patience as we continue to navigate these challenging waters. If you have any questions, please reach out to the committee at [email protected]