The organising committee worked hard in the week before the race, to enable a race to go ahead at all this year. While the PLA Ebb Flag turned to yellow mid-week, the stream remained stubbornly strong. We looked at different scenarios and had to make a difficult decision on safety grounds, to cut the field by around half. We completely understand that this left many crews disappointed at not being given the opportunity to race. We were still watching the weather right up to race day itself with a concern about wind strength and direction potentially causing more problems. With this frame of reference, we were pleased with the outcome last Saturday.
The Women’s Head exists as a not-for-profit event, where all proceeds are reinvested in the continuing development of the event for future years. Many of the costs of running the race are incurred upfront, and are set regardless of the number of crews that race on the day.
Due to the circumstances that resulted in a smaller field this year, the committee has taken the decision to pay refunds from the event’s reserves. These will be as follows:
1. Any crew that withdrew prior to the 9pm deadline on Wednesday 6th March, either voluntarily or due to being excluded on safety grounds, will receive a full refund (£136).
2. Crews that were cut from the final start order on Thursday 7th March will receive a refund of 90% of the entry fee (£122.40).
Refunds will be processed through BROE in due course.
We would like emphasise that this generous offer is not sustainable in the long term if future races have to be cancelled, and we strongly suggest that competitors should hedge their risk by booking cancellable options for accommodation, travel, etc. where possible, due to the weather-dependant nature of the sport.