Due to the Covid 19 Virus issue we are considering the following (note the word considering):
Given the guidance coming from medical officials, the shutting down of non essential establishments, and the shutting down of yacht clubs it seems we should go virtual with all future meetings. Boat inspections could also be a problem. The Pacific Cup, as an example, has just cancelled all inspections in the Bay Area for the time being.
Given the above I am suggesting the following steps:
- All seminars will be online. We can use the conference call system we have in place to do this. Kristen - can you confirm that it will support slide presentations ? Do we need to purchase a subscription to allow a full set of features and up to 20 dial ups ? Please let me know.
-Inspections will delayed until April 30 th. Lets hope the Bay area travel and meeting restrictions are lifted by then.
-We can discuss solutions for the skippers meeting and luncheon at a later date. Let us hope that the virus will be under control by the time of the start of the event and those can be held as planned. The same applies to the finish party and use of the "Yellow House".
One advantage of a single handed race to Hawaii - you will he well socially isolated once you are under the Golden Gate. Crewed races will have a challenge in this regard.
Hoping for a quick recovery to the area, the Nation, and the Planet.
To Bob's question, the answer is no, not to the letter of the order. Emphasis added.
§2 Mandatory Quarantine. All persons entering the State
shall be subject to mandatory self-quarantine, except those
persons performing emergency response or critical infrastructure
functions who have been exempted by the Director of Emergency
Management. The period of self-quarantine begins from the time
of entry into the State and lasts 14 days or the duration of the
person’s presence in the State, whichever is shorter.
having said all that I also note that, at least for now, the order expires May 20th.
Larry Conklin called, asked that the SSS will “ help keep Kauai green” when we come. I promised we will spend money when we come. BTW, the Wake Up cafe is for sale.
If Hawaii does shut down, or time runs out to hold the SSS TransPacific Race to Hanalei - anyone interested in a cruise-out to the Pacific High?
I spent four days in the High on one of my return trips from Hawaii; I found it to be a surreal place to be - middle of the ocean, flat calm pancake mirror sea, gigantic clouds hanging above and not moving, visibility clear to the pencil-line horizon in all directions. The stars at night are amazing.
I am considering a sail out to the High as a backup plan if Hanalei or something similar doesn't make sense or work out given current world affairs. As Cliff/Rainbow mentioned, perhaps we could organize a cruise-out to a specific Lat/Lon. No USCG permit required, I'll bring the barbecue, and we can search for the half-way barge. Going for a swim mid-ocean is an unusual experience. Might even allow double-handers or fully-crewed yachts to participate
That sounds like a good journey Beetle and Pork Chop may be down for following you out for a bit. We launched today from Brickyard and parked the boat next to our live aboard in the city. It was a pleasant if somber sail home. Looks like we are hunkering down for a bit.
I guess this officially begins my prep for 2022.
The recent Covid-19 issues are an issue with regards to conducting races of any kind in the Bay and to distant destinations. At present the Coast Guard will not issue any permits that don’t comply with current local and federal rules. In addition, the State of Hawaii, and the County of Kauai have instituted strong, “shelter in place” orders for their residents as well as visitors. The County of Kauai has also put in place beach use restrictions to reduce groups for sharing the same space. Nonresidents must acquire a permit, $5/person, for each day they are on the beach. Additionally, parking a car in the vicinity of the beach requires the payment of a $50 / day parking fee. Lastly, use of the beach by a group will require a separate permit. Lastly, and most important, if you were to arrive in Hawaii today you would have to undergo a mandatory quarantine of 14 days. Another issue is the on the water portion of the race. While it is a solo event, therefore there is no issue with crew separation, the issue of someone contracting the disease while at sea, and that resulting in a rescue by another vessel/aircraft, will raise concerns with the USCG permitting process.
We have decided to continue race planning and revisit the question of holding the event on April 15. At that time we will hold a meeting and then inform all of you of our decision.
This note is going to all racers, the board of the SHTP, and the board of the Single-Handed Sailing Society.