COVID-19 forces cancelation of Pacific Cup

SAN FRANCISCO—The 2020 Pacific Cup, which pits sailors against each other in a race from San Francisco to Hawai’i, has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Race organizers stated the next race will take place July 4, 2022. The biennial race, held in even years since 1980, starts at Richmond Yacht Club on San Francisco Bay and ends at Kaneohe Bay Yacht Club on Kaneohe Bay, Oahu. Pacific Cup Yacht Club organizes the biennial race. This year’s Pacific Cup, which had at least 57 entrants, was slated to begin the week of June 29. Official entries included Pied Piper, City Lights, True Love, Artemis, Big Medicine, Wilder and Pegasus. “We’re terribly disappointed to take this step to cancel the 2020 race, but the health and safety of our participants, partners, and the many supporting volunteers must take priority,” Pacific Cup YC Commodore Michael Moradzadeh said. Seminars on race preparation, safety, inspections and maintenance of ocean-crossing information will still be offered by Pacific Cup YC. The race preparation seminars will be held online due to social distancing protocols and mandates. The Pacific Cup is a 2,070-mile race from San Francisco to Oahu; the finish line has been at Kaneohe Bay since 1988. As many as...