HAMILTON, Bermuda (Oct. 23, 2020) – The relentless march of time has everyone associated with the 70th Bermuda Gold Cup and 2020 Open Match Racing Worlds anxious with anticipation as gold and silver awaits the winner at the championship ceremony next Friday. Racing for the 16 crews begins on Monday with the first set of flights scheduled to get underway at 0930.
The majority of the crews are en route to the 21-square-mile island in the Atlantic Ocean after having taken their COVID-19 PCR tests, as required by the Bermuda Government protocols. All sailors will be tested upon arrival at Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport before quarantining in their hotel rooms while the tests are processed. Everyone will also be tested on Day 4 of their stay.
Two crews, Torvar Mirsky’s Black Match Mirsky Racing Team and Ian Williams’s Team GAC Pindar, have been on the island since early in the week and got in a pit of practice before the boats were sequestered beginning Tuesday evening in preparation for the regatta.
Bermuda dodged the latest Atlantic hurricane, Epsilon, when it passed to the east Thursday night. On Friday morning the storm was to the east/northeast and moving to the north and further away. The long-range forecast from the Bermuda Weather Service predicts moderate southeasterly winds on Monday and continuing into Tuesday morning, then becoming light and variable on Tuesday afternoon.
Bermuda will be a hub of sporting activity this week. Besides the Bermuda Gold Cup and 2020 Open Match Racing Worlds, the island is also hosting the PGA Tour’s Bermuda Championship, which will be held at Port Royal Golf Course. Padraig Harrington, Danny Willett, Stewart Cink and Jason Dufner are among those expected to contend for the championship that begins next Thursday.
Also, rugby’s World Tens Series is set to start with round one of league play on Sunday and Monday. The ten-a-side World Tens Series comprises privately-owned teams from around the globe, featuring world-class players. The series runs on consecutive weekends through Nov. 7-8.