Yacht classic is ready to sail
COVID plans in place
SYDNEY- Hobart officials have laid out an near watertight COVID- 19 safety plan to cover every scenario for this year’s race including how to rescue sick crew at sea and deal with crew from damaged yachts that pull into port.
Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania boss Richard Bevan said it was critical to have a comprehensive plan for the 76th running of the blue water classic.
The race has officially been given the green light.
When entries closed three weeks ago 103 yachts had been entered. That list has since reduced to 89. It includes six Tasmanian entries and two supermaxis.
Bevan believes the only thing that will stop the worldrenowned race was another border lockdown between Tasmania and NSW.
“On the water the race is essentially the same,” Bevan said.
“It’s the before and after that’s going to be different.
“The bottom line is that we must have a COVID- safe plan that is compliant with the requirements of the day.
“What that might be is a moving feast, depending on what is happening at the time, because things can change, as we saw in Adelaide last week.
“We are working with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and the appropriate state departments, Heath Department especially, and also the TasPorts, Tasmania Police and looking at the possible scenarios that we might have to deal with.”
Near the top of the list is an on- the- water evacuation.
“There might be a rescue at sea or someone got sick at sea, and not necessarily COVID, and if there had to be an evacuation, or a boat got towed into Triabunna, what happens there in those situations,” Bevan said.
“You’ve got people arriving in the state from NSW, so we’re looking at what happens with the required testing in that situation.’’
Only another significant outbreak would sink the race.
“The only thing that would stop the race from happening completely, in my view, would be if there was a border restriction imposed between Tasmania and NSW again,” Bevan said. “Apart from that I think we can manage just about anything.”