18th RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup postponed
by Sean McNeill 4 Aug 2020 06:50 BST
Optis sailing downwind - RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup © John Singleton
With great regret the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club announces that the 18th annual RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup has been postponed to 2021 due to the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
First held in 2002, the RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup brings together male and female sailors aged 12 to 15 from around the world for a multi-race series in the Optimist dinghy. The regatta was founded as a means to give Bermuda's youth sailors a taste of international competition, and it has proven valuable in forging lasting friendships as the international sailors are housed with Bermudians.
Given the importance of social distancing in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and the various travel restrictions that are in place around the world, the decision was made to forgo this year's event. The obstacles proved too challenging to warrant inviting 15 to 20 teenagers to Bermuda given the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic.
"At the end of the day the risks involved did not match the reward as the full experience of the Junior Gold Cup would not be realized in 2020," said event organizer Dede Cooper. "It was a difficult decision and one that makes me sad as this is such a wonderful event for the youth sailors.
"As always, we are grateful to RenaissanceRe for their continuing support and look forward to welcoming everyone back to Bermuda sometime in 2021 for the 18th RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup," Cooper said.
An announcement on the dates for 2021 will be made in due course.