I have the pleasure of knowing many in the Fleet, but for those I do not know, you may better recognize me as the skipper of Magpie. I have served Hingham Bay Racing most recently as Vice President and A-Fleet Captain. It is an honor to have been nominated by the Board to take on the role of President and I hope to serve the Fleet well during my time in this position
As I write this letter, we are collectively sheltered in place to flatten the curve of COVID-19. For all those suffering, in any form, from this virus, our prayers are with you.
With May approaching the Board of Hingham Bay Racing has determined to modify the racing season and schedule as follows:
- May 6th Spring Meeting is cancelled.
- No races will be run prior to Memorial Day.
- From a scoring perspective, the Spring Series will be cancelled.
- Our intent is to run races as soon as it is reasonable to do so. We will follow all guidance from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and US Coast Guard where applicable.
- Any Twilight races run prior to the beginning of the Summer Series on July 1st will be separately scored, the results of which will be acknowledged at the Fall Awards Ceremony.
- We are considering alternate race formats in order to provide some form of racing as soon as possible, one format under consideration is a time trail with competitors taking their own start and finish time around a pre-determined course.
- Announcements for these races, including format details, will be made with as much advance notice as possible.
- Weekend Races currently remain as scheduled, if a reschedule or cancellation becomes necessary, Hingham Bay Racing will send out an email alert to all Fleet Members at least a week in advance.
Racing Disclaimer:
- As always, per The Racing Rules of Sailing, Part 1, Section 4 – Decision to Race, the responsibility for a boat’s decision to participate in a race is hers alone.
We are encouraging all Hingham Bay Fleet Members to sign up for their season membership and to renew their ORR-Ez certificate. These actions will ensure you are ready to race as soon as racing is resumed.
For any Fleet Member experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19, please email Hingham Bay Racing Treasurer, Bob Nelson ([email protected]), with a brief note to have your Membership fee waived for the season. This will be a confidential process with Bob being the only person with knowledge of your request.
Similarly, ORA and Mass Bay Sailing have teamed up to provide ORR-Ez certificate renewals at no cost to those in need of financial relief. To activate this gesture of good will: renew, do not make the payment, and send a note to Mass Bay Treasurer, Russ Chapman ([email protected]). Mass Bay will then credit the charges for this season.
Further, the Board has elected not to print the 2020 Hingham Bay Race Book, but instead to make the information available online at www.hinghambayracing.org. This decision is to reduce operating costs to make up for the anticipated drop in Membership Fee revenue and keep Hingham Bay Racing solvent through the crisis.
In an effort to increase value to our advertisers we will increase advertiser exposure on our website and in future Fleet Member Communications. Any previous season advertiser who would like to continue supporting Hingham Bay Racing but is experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19, please email Hingham Bay Racing Treasurer, Bob Nelson ([email protected]), with a brief note to have your ad fee adjusted for the 2020 season.
Hingham Bay Racing is an independent organization open to all sailboats in the area. It is run by volunteer Board members who are aligned by the common goal of running fun, fair and competitive handicap sailboat races in and around Hingham Bay. Our mission for the 2020 season is to provide some form of racing for Fleet Members where possible with a return to our normal racing structure when it is appropriate to do so. Our goal for the season is not to lose any Fleet Members or Fleet Sponsors due to financial hardship.
If you have questions, or suggestions about how we can better achieve our season mission and goal, please reach out to me, your Fleet Captain or any other Board member. If you’d like to get more involved, the Board is always looking for new members!
We wish you, your families and crews good health,
Tom Curtis [and the entire Board of Hingham Bay Racing]
President, Hingham Bay Racing
[email protected]
