Although this is the 10th anniversary for the Endurance Series, attendance for distance races has been down for quite some time and as a result we had three races cancelled this year alone. I am working on putting a plan in place to try and revive distance racing and bring a little more stability to the some of the lesser attended events. The main reason Hiram's Haul and The Islander Reef Run have been cancelled was because of insurance. A certain number of participants are needed to just cover the insurance cost for that event. If not the event loses money and there is no way to recoup that loss.
Initially the Endurance Series plan was to use existing events and function mainly as score keeper and help with promotion. I did not want to interfere with the running of the events. Now I am placed in a position where I either need to step up and get involved with some of the events or hope things improve. I have participated in all of these events in the past and I hate seeing these great events disappear so I am going to try and step up to the plate.
The first step is to get a policy in place for next year under "Sail Series" to cover the events that don't have insurance in place. Having our own policy will help spread the cost of the policy over more than one event. Warren Green and Chuck Bargeron are going to help me find the best solution.
The second step is to build a small team to run the Reef Run, Hiram's Haul and possibly a new event. They will also help at other events as needed. So far we have verbal commitments from Warren Green, myself and I have one other person with a marketing/PR background who will help where needed. Warren is a trained and certified "Principal Race Officer" (PRO) and has run events by himself. Without his help, there would be a huge void.
The third step is to put together a schedule. My goal is to announce the schedule at the Steeplechase but not later than January 1st. There should not be any major changes, just trying to bring back cancelled events and probably add a new event.
The fourth step is to try and make the event logistics easier for participants. Having a shuttling system for participants and gear can help at some of the events. Boat/trailer storage is another area that needs to be looked into on a per event basis especially if there are more than one event in close time proximity.
Sail Series will more or less function like a sanctioning organization for the Endurance Series and any other events or series that might need help. The long term goal initially was to have three series; Endurance Series, Buoy Series and Xtreme Series. But between 911 and the latest economy downturn, it has been a struggle to just keep the Endurance Series alive.
On a related event, I talked to Chuck Bargeron today asking the status of the Tybee 500. He did not commit but he stated that if there is enough interest, he would possibly consider bringing back the Tybee 500 in 2015. I know there was a thread earlier this year begging to have the Tybee back, now is your time to voice your opinion. If anyone is interested in racing the Tybee 500 in 2015, please let me know. Without enough interest, it won't happen.
I was lucky enough to work with Chuck in the 2010 Tybee 500. He asked for me to keep him up to date and I will be bouncing ideas off of both he and Warren to try and revive endurance sailing. If you are interested in helping with Sail Series or interested in racing the Endurance Series, let me know.
