Well, the bigger the event and the more hype for it and the more boats that come, the greater the potential liability problems for the organizers.

No comparison with the Around Texel, which is empty water. New York Harbor is full of all kinds of traffic, both recreational and commercial. And I would imagine that the recreational traffic is worse than usual on a 4th of July weekend.

Fog has been a problem in past Statue races. Traffic and fog don't mix well.

I'm saying that the "old guard" who have been running this race for 30 years (I think that's what was said), have a better handle on the dangers of this race. The mere thought of trying to build it into a race with hundreds of catamarans in a commercial harbor like that does not sound like a good idea to me.

Races like the Round the Island and the Texel usually bring out lots of people who are not experienced racers and are just doing it for a once-a-year fun event. With lots of aggressive promotion, the same thing could happen for the Statue race, and it's just not safe.

In the Texel, and some other distance races, the sailors only have to worry about themselves and other catamarans. In the Statue of Liberty Race, they also have to worry about being run over by freighters and ferries and miscellaneous other boats.