Well damn.

With COVID-19 still ravaging our state, Cowlitz County's application to move into Phase 3 has not yet been approved by the state of Washington, and as such, the ERCU Board of Directors this morning voted to again postpone the beginning of the 2020 season.

As such, the Champion Spark Plug Regatta (Saturday, June 27) and the Jack Regas Memorial (Sunday, June 28), will NOT be held this weekend.

Cowlitz County - the home to Longview - was eligible to apply for a move to Phase 3 on Friday, June 12, but a spike in COVID-19 cases delayed that application until the following week. And even when the application did go in, it was for a "modified phase 3" which would have allowed for outdoor gatherings of 25 or fewer (which we probably could have managed). The problem was that even a "modified phase 3" would have not allowed for the opening of the park's public restrooms. And portable toilets are not allowed in parks until full phase 3.

As of this morning (Wednesday, June 24), the state had still not approved Cowlitz County's application to move ahead in its phase of reopening. Without access to restrooms of any sort at the race site, the board's decision was that it did not make sense, nor would it be safe/healthy, to try and conduct the races set for June 27-28 at Lake Sacajawea Park.

We have paid for the dates at Longview, so we will try and reschedule them at a later date, when Pandemic conditions allow us to do so safely.

With Thurston County's eligibility to apply for phase 3 coming later this week, we're still hopeful that a start to the season on Saturday, July 11 at Woodland Creek Park in Lacey can happen. Please stay tuned to your email, this website and ERCU's social media for details as they are available.

Thank you for your patience and your understanding.

We're about to launch into not just another new season of racing, but also a new series!

This past winter, the ERCU Board of Directors created a Triple Crown series for each division. The idea is to encourage participation in vintage, classic and modern at each event.

Here's how it will work:

• At each race, immediately after the drivers meeting, there will be a period for a two-lap time trial including only the boats for the class of the day (i.e. Champion Spark Plug Regatta will be vintage only; Jack Regas Memorial will be classic only, etc.).
  
• The six fastest in the time trials will run in a Triple Crown Dash for points at the end of the day.
  
• Points will be the same as regular racing (1st place = 400; 2nd = 300; 3rd = 225; 4th = 127; 5th = 95.
  
• Time trials points will be awarded the same as H1 Unlimited (1st = 100; 2nd = 80; 3rd = 70; 4th = 60; 6th = 50; 7th through last = 30 each).
  
• All points earned will accumulate toward the Triple Crown championship.
  
• Each class will have three Triple Crown events during the course of the season. There will be no Triple Crown event at the ERCU Gold Cup.
  
• The boat in each class with the most Triple Crown points at the end of the season will win a special trophy.
  
• Vintage Triple Crown events will be at the Champion Spark Plug Regatta, Seafair Cup, Governor’s Cup.
  
• Classic Triple Crown events will be at the Jack Regas Memorial, Roger Newton Memorial and President’s Cup.
  
• Modern Triple Crown events will be at the Diamond Cup, Fred Leland Memorial and Stan Sayres Memorial.
  
• Points earned in the Triple Crown Series will NOT count toward the regular season points standings.
  

So pack up your vintage and classic boats for the first race weekend of the season, June 27-28 in Longview, and bring ‘em out to compete in ERCU’s new Triple Crown Series, as well as the doubleheader race weekend.

Without minimizing the seriousness of this year's COVID-19 pandemic, we at ERCU are celebrating that it's almost -- finally -- time to go racing!

With Cowlitz and Thurston Counties currently in Phase 2 of the State's Safe Start plan to restart the state's economy, and expected to enter Phase three next week or the week after, Longview and Lacey are both going to be viable race sites this year. Snohomish County is expecting to be in Phase 3 by the time we need to race at Twin Lakes Park, so we should be good to go there, too. With that, ERCU Race Coordinator Jerry Dunlap has completed a new 2020 racing schedule that the board of directors approved unanimously via email today.

The full season schedule can be found by clicking here.

The season will start in Longview with a doubleheader. We'll run the Champion Spark Plug Regatta on Lake Sacajawea on Saturday, June 27. On Sunday, June 28, we'll run the Jack Regas Memorial, also at Lake Sacajawea.

Two weeks later, on Saturday, July 11, we'll run the Diamond Cup in Lacey.

It's also our plan to make sure there is a Seafair Cup this year, even if H1 Unlimited won't be running on Lake Washington. We're scheduled to run the Seafair Cup on Saturday, July 25 at Twin Lakes. Stay tuned for more information on that, as we plan to make a big deal out of it, while keeping within our size of gathering restrictions.

The board of directors has also unanimously approved a set of Safe Start Guidelines that will direct our compliance with the state's restrictions. Please make sure to read the guidelines so you're aware of them, and well-prepared, before arriving at the pits.

In appreciation for your patience for the 2020 season, and your membership and participation in our club, ERCU will provide free first-boat in each class entry fees for the first race you attend in 2020.

Please take a moment to check out the 2020 schedule and make your plans to come racing.

I can't wait to see you all at the races!

-Nellie