ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. (August 01, 2018)—St. Mary's College of Maryland's Governor's Cup Yacht Race, scheduled to take place Friday and Saturday, August 3 and 4, has been canceled.
"We have been carefully monitoring the water conditions on the Chesapeake Bay since last week's opening of the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River," said Adam L. Werblow, Governor's Cup regatta chair, and director of the waterfront and head varsity sailing coach at St. Mary's College. "Unfortunately, massive amounts of debris (both organic and man-made) have made their way into our beautiful bay. The debris has entered the racecourse and increased the danger to navigation. Forecasts call for more rain which will only exacerbate the problem. Given that the Governor's Cup is an overnight race; in the interest of safety we have made the decision to cancel this year's regatta. St. Mary's College of Maryland very much looks forward to hosting the 46th Governor's Cup next summer."
All fees (including those for entry, transportation, food and housing) will be returned to competitors.
The Governor's Cup Yacht Race is the longest overnight race on the Chesapeake Bay. This year was to launch a new Solomons leg, with sailors starting at Flag Harbor and sailing to St. Mary's City. Each year, the main event starts from Maryland's current capital city in Annapolis to its first capital city in St. Mary's City. Simultaneously Potomac Leg sailors start at Dahlgren and Southern Leg sailors start at Fishing Bay.
For information about the event, visit www.smcm.edu/events/govcup or email govcup@smcm.edu.