As we foreshadowed last week, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia has bowed to the COVID virus and postponed the Sydney-Gold Coast offshore race, the most important blue-water event in its calendar after the Sydney-Hobart.
Daily infection numbers in the state of New South Wales have not reduced and the government is continuing to enforce its strict social distancing regulations and a ban on all non-essential activities other than personal exercise.
The race to the finish off Southport on the Queensland Gold Coast was scheduled to start on July 31 but there is little prospect of any restrictions being eased before then. The CYCA is now considering an alternative start date in mid-October or an out-and-back race of similar length within NSW waters.
This is the second year running that Coronavirus has forced the cancellation of the race. It comes as a huge disappointment to the hundreds of sailors who build their Winter holiday plans around the ‘Southport’ and following week-long regattas further North at Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island. Only boats from Queensland are now likely to contest those events.
