World Championship Postponed

Thursday September 13, 2001

This evening the Marblehead Fleet met and discussed our preparations and status for the 2001 World Championship. Although our technical team has put the finishing touches on a twenty-three boat racing fleet, the tragic events of the week have made it impossible for the competing skippers and their teams to get here.

Through email, through faxes and through direct phone conversations our European and West coast competitors have told us of the great efforts expended to try to travel to Marblehead. But you also told us that those efforts were in vain. Closer to home, East cost based teams have had to face head-on the terrifying reality of the New York City attack.

The issues created by this week's attack have created barriers that no amount of enthusiasm and passion could overcome. You've asked us to please consider rescheduling the event and we have listened.

The Marblehead fleet have recommended that we postpone the 2001 World Championship to a time in the future when travel is more feasible and when the issues that we've all faced this week have been put behind us.

Our thinking can be summarized in a few key points. First, a "Worlds" that only features teams from the east coast of the United States cannot be considered a "Worlds". If we pressed on with an event next week there would be no representatives from Europe and Bermuda, and likely no representatives from California. We feel strongly that a World Championship should feature a truly representative field. Second - holding the regatta next spring actually allows us the most flexibility to plan an event that is truly World Class, rather than one that is essentially improvised from available pieces.

We want to put on a great regatta for you.

We'll immediately start planning an event for the Spring, probably in May or June. We can't promise that we'll have access to all the boats that been loaned to us this fall, so the number of invitations may change. (To our friends in Fishers Island and Nantucket, a special vote of thanks! we hope we'll have your support next spring. )

But we will stand by our original commitment to the World Class - to put on the best regatta that we know how.

This creates some unprecedented World Class issues - during Calendar 2002 there could be not one but two World Championships (the rescheduled 2001 Worlds in the Spring and the already scheduled 2002 Championship in the Fall (Bermuda!). We've asked the World Class Executive committee to consider our request and we are confident they will approve it.

We know that there has never been an issue with your desire to come and compete in our beautiful sailing area. The difficulties that we've all faced this week are due to extraordinary events. For those New England teams that could have traveled to Marblehead next week, we know you'll understand that this decision was made to benefit the most number of competitors. Save your enthusiasm and your energy for the soon to be rescheduled 2001 International One Design World Championship.

More to come....

Greg Mancusi-Ungaro

Fleet Captain, Marblehead

For those of you who have pre-ordered Merchandise, we will contact you electronically to see what you would like to do. For those of you who have submitted an entry fee, we will refund your payment through a class