Photo: Debbie Parker

2021 Gold Cup Q&As

The soft water regatta scene has been significantly affected by COVID 19. Will it do the same for the hard water season? Members have been asking questions of the IDNIYRA Governing Committee, so we have prepared the following Q&As.

Q: Will the 2021 Gold Cup happen?
A: We don’t know yet. If it were to be held now (pretend it is winter), the answer would be no. But public health conditions may be better in late January and allow the regatta to be held.

Q: What is the Governing Committee doing about it?
A: We are planning on the basis that there will be a regatta but have contingency plans. John Curtis, the Canadian Rear Commodore, is our regatta chair and key regatta volunteers have already been identified and agreed to serve. Some work towards the regatta has already started.

Q: What are the contingency plans?
A: Our dates are fixed for January 24 to 30, 2021, since there is a coordinated regatta schedule between North America and Europe. As Gold Cup host we had first choice of dates and those are the ones we selected. The base plan provides for the usual seven race Gold Cup series followed by a seven race North American Championship.In the October time frame, Europeans would ordinarily begin planning their travel to the Gold Cup. If in October, we still have travel restrictions or quarantine requirements in place (and no prospect of removal) that restrict or prevent international competitors from attending, then it would be inappropriate to hold a Gold Cup. At that point we would consider cancelling the Gold Cup and holding a 14-race North American Championship series instead.
If the Canada/US border remains closed, or significant quarantine requirements remain in North America, then Canadian participation in a US-based regatta (or vice-versa) would not be feasible and it would be inappropriate to hold a North American Championship. This decision can be made much later than a Gold Cup decision. If we do not hold a North American Championship, then we would hold a US-based event, perhaps the ‘annual regatta’ of old or a US Championship. All our key volunteers are American. Jody Kjoller, our Vice Commodore, would assume the chairmanship of the US-based regatta. This would not be a ranking regatta. Canadian members might choose to hold their own national championship at the same time.

Q: What would cancellation of the Gold Cup do to my ranking?
A: DN ranking is established annually “using regatta results from the previous two (World Championships, North American Championships, and European Championships)” (2020 Yearbook, p.110) and is defined in Section 14 of the Regatta Management Agreement (2020 Yearbook, p. 188). If a ranking event is not held, whether due to COVID 19, a snowstorm or unsafe ice conditions, the two previous events are still used for ranking purposes. If your ranking is based solely on North American events and we do not hold a ranking regatta in 2021 your rank will not change.

Q: What does this mean financially?
A: The COVID 19 situation increases our financial risk. We are making financial contingency plans too. We could limit our up-front financial risk, for example, by not pre-purchasing keeper prizes and limiting regatta freebees. We could then order keepers according to actual attendance and mail them to recipients. Such measures might also allow reduced registration fees.
Please feel free to engage the Governing Committee if you have further questions. We are committed to offer racing this winter subject to constraints that might be imposed by COVID 19.