Star Class Honoring the Past, Leading the Future
2020 Star Class World Championship is Cancelled.
The 2020 Star Worlds planning committee has decided that given the current Covid-19 situation in the United States, and specifically Miami, it will be impossible to hold the 2020 Star World Championship as scheduled. The Star Class supports this decision and would like to thank the Coral Reef and Biscayne Bay Yacht Club’s for their planning efforts.
Jon VanderMolen
Executive Director
ISCYRA
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This email is to formalize the decision of the Star Worlds Committee which met last evening August 11th, 2020. The Committee voted unanimously to cancel the Miami 2020 Worlds. The decision was based on several factors, but included the following:
1. Safety: With the current Covid-19 situation in Florida and in other parts of the country, the committee feels that holding this event would pose a health risk to Club members, staff and the competitors and that any proposed safety measures would not adequately mitigate the risk.
2. Fairness: With travel bans on Brazil, Canada and Europe, the event would not be a fair world championship.
3. Lack of Sponsorship - Given the economic crisis in the US and in Miami-Dade County where over 3,0000 businesses have closed permanently, finding sponsorship and holding a quality event would be impossible.
4. Government Restriction and Club Rules: Biscayne Bay and Coral Reef are both operating in a limited capacity under County and City imposed restrictions which include members-only use, mandatory face masks, limits on the number of members per table and no bar service. In addition there is outside dining only. These restrictions are likely to continue into the fall and make holding any sizable regatta impossible :
The long standing goal of the committee was to make a final decision on this event before August 13th, 2020 so as to not put the Class or any competitors in a position wherein one would incur any unnecessary shipping or travel expenses that might come with a :last minute cancelation. The Committee regrets that we had to take this action, but we believe it is a decision in the best interest of all involved. As discussed at the meeting Coral Reef and Biscayne Bay Yacht Clubs would like to be considered for the 2024 Star Class Worlds when hopefully the world is back to normal.
Chris Lanza
2020 Star Worlds Regatta Chairman
