LANCASTER—Responding to the COVID-19 guidelines, and to offer a safe and fun outlet for sailors, the Turkey Shoot board of directors decided to hold a modified regatta, reports co-chairman Tom Chapman of the Rappahannock River Yacht Club (RRYC).
The event will be a pursuit race, October 3, on the Rappahannock River, with no land activities planned at present. Slips, moorings and an anchoring area on Carter Creek in Irvington will be available to those boats which choose to come on Friday evening or wish to stay later. Check www.turkeyshoot.org.
This is the silver anniversary of the regatta’s association with, and fund-raising efforts for, local Hospice services, said co-chairman George Bott of the Yankee Point Racing and Cruising Club (YPRCC).
Normally this would be a three-day event, with lots of activities ashore for skippers, crews and guests at Bruce Sanders’ Rappahannock Yachts on Carter Creek. Last year, 98 sailboats registered, always the largest Hospice Regatta in the nation, and one of the largest sail races in the Chesapeake Bay. It also is the 30th local Turkey Shoot Regatta, started by chairman emeritus John McConnico and Chuck Harney.
The registration fee has been reduced to $55, but there will be commemorative hats, T-shirts and skippers’ bags. Photos of finishing boats and the awards will be available in a contact-less scenario. The display on land of all 30 annual T-shirts, done by Carole Jean McConnico, will likely be postponed, said publicist Tom Wicks.
According to webmaster Warren Ryan, captains may register their boats at www.turkeyshoot.org and following the prompts to Yachtscoring. All requests for extra hats & T-shirts and other commemorative items must be made through the Yachtscoring site since there will be no sale sites on land.
For those who wish to donate to Hospice services, there will be an on-line mechanism for donations, either by buying $100 Golden Burgee pennants or by direct contributions, said Ryan.
This is a race for classic mono-hulls whose design is at least 20 years old: the boat can be newer, but its design must have been established before 2000, said Chapman. Questions concerning qualifications can be answered by Chapman or Jerry Latell, who manage the on-water activities.
Chapman and Bott indicated this year’s goal is two-fold. “One goal is to encourage everyone who raced last year to come back again, to defend their titles in some cases, and to have a safe time sailing. And the other goal is to help Hospice Support Services of the Northern Neck and Riverside Hospices Agencies.”
