BOSTON (WHDH) - The Head of the Charles Regatta will not be held in-person this fall but will instead be a global remote event, officials announced Wednesday.
The Board of Directors and the executive team came to their decision after evaluating a full range of options in accordance to state and United States Rowing guidelines, as well as consulting leading infectious disease physicians from Massachusetts General Hospital.
Through this analysis, they determined that they would be unable to run an in-person regatta while keeping competitors, coaches, volunteers, spectators, and vendors safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As you know, our top priority has always been holding a regatta that is safe, competitive, and fun,” Executive Director Fred Schoch said. “While we are deeply disappointed that health and safety conditions throughout the world prohibit us from doing that this year, our team is hard at work developing a global remote event to be held this October.”
Athletes will be able to compete remotely by racing the length of the Head of the Charles (4,702 meters) on their own body of water or on an erg.
Ten-time New England champion, Gevvie Stone, said social distancing is not possible in the boats and that she agrees with the decision.
A full lineup of events, formats and racing rules will be released by mid-August with registration opened on Sept. 1.
Entries that were guaranteed for the 2020 race will roll over to 2021.
Regatta veteran Hugh Scott said that in a year where everything is different it is no surprise this year’s event will be too.
“I think it’s too bad but, I don’t see they had any choice,” he said. “The Head of the Charles is being responsible.”
This is only the second time in the event’s 54-year history that the regatta has been canceled.
The event was scrapped in 1996 due to bad weather
(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)