When violence broke out in the Mexican state of Jalisco following a military operation targeting the leader of a cartel in February of 2026, San Diego Yacht Club was just one week away from the start of its iconic Puerto Vallarta Race. As the news continued to roll out, it became clear that the race would be impacted. Just how to address the situation remained to be seen.

Following several meetings, the race’s Organizing Authority made the difficult decision to cancel the race. But that didn’t mean racing was cancelled.

By that time, competitors were already arriving in San Diego and the starting-line parties were already planned and paid for. The team at SDYC understood a complete race cancellation would have posed its own variety of threat, so they pivoted.

Instead of a race to Mexico, the Organizing Authority offered a series of racing events in the San Diego area, complemented by fun and memorable social events on shore. The crisis had created a very real threat to the race, and the Club rose to the occasion.

“The key was early, clear and consistent communication,” says SDYC Commodore Alli Bell. “We wanted to keep the information coming and make it a conversation.” After the SDYC Board of Directors voted to cancel the race, a message was drafted, approved and distributed that prioritized the safety and security of staff, sailors and volunteers. Bell notes that throughout the crisis, the goal was to keep communication positive.

Consider Communications in your Crisis Plans

While violent unrest is an unusual challenge for a regatta, crises in sailing events are an unfortunate and ever-present reality for which yacht clubs and organizing authorities need to prepare. One of the most important pieces of crisis management is communication. When things go wrong, people want information, and it is crucial that the roll-out of that information does not add to the chaos of a crisis.

When things go wrong, people want information, and it is crucial that the roll-out of that information does not add to the chaos of a crisis.

“It is so important to keep everyone on the same page,” Bell notes. In a crisis, conflicting information can hamper the effectiveness of a response. While different stakeholders might need to be updated on different aspects of a crisis, the messaging and information going out should be clear and consistent.

Plan for the Worst, Expect the Best

One way to ensure consistency is to plan ahead for a crisis. In an ideal world, every regatta would operate without worry—however, sailing possesses inherent dangers, as all sailors are aware. Staying prepared for the worst-case scenario, as unlikely as it might be, can help a yacht club handle and communicate a crisis with composure and tact.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia organizes the legendary Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. For that regatta and others, the club maintains a crisis communication plan and identifies a team to manage situations should they arise.

“The plan is reviewed annually, with scenario-based training taking place before the Rolex Sydney Hobart each year,” said a CYCA spokesperson. “This involves internal teams and relevant stakeholders in the emergency services and marine rescue industries.” CYCA’s plan clearly identifies the communication channels to use and audiences to be targeted in the case of a crisis.

An event with significant resources like the Sydney Hobart may be able to invest more into a crisis plan than a smaller regatta, but taking the time to strategize with a team, draft a response framework and identify key stakeholders who need to be kept in the know can be a relatively low-lift exercise that will give your regatta and/or event media team the necessary tools to respond appropriately and in a timely manner if the worst occurs.

In all communications—crisis or otherwise—the tone of voice and targeted audience can make or break the effectiveness of messaging and tactics. The unfortunate reality is that yachts can be lost in regattas. Even worse is the very real threat of loss of life. When the unthinkable occurs, communications must balance empathy with informational authority. Facts need to be shared, but the emotional gravity of the situation must also be considered.

 In the CYCA’s crisis plan, they “always think of those affected and their families first and are conscious of communicating the status of incidents to next of kin prior to making public statements.”

While the Puerto Vallarta Race situation thankfully did not involve any loss of life, Bell nonetheless recognized the gravity of the situation. The club’s tone of voice reflected that, doubling down on its professionalism while maintaining positivity.

Speaking on Behalf of the Club

Anticipating greater media attention should be part of your crisis communications plan. While regattas mostly attract attention from sailing-focused press, a crisis might result in questions and coverage from news outlets with a broader audience.

Communicating with the media puts added emphasis on uniformity. It is generally good practice to designate a single person to speak directly with reporters so that they are not receiving potentially conflicting information from multiple sources within the same organization.

Take a Page from Storm Trysail Club

In many ways, communicating through a crisis is not substantially different from regular communications. The stakes are higher and the situations can be fraught, however the same principles and best practices remain.

Storm Trysail Club hosted an Offshore Sailing Leadership Summit in November of 2020 which included a breakout session on effective communication. Their most poignant takeaways are a road map for crisis communication: know your audience; establish trust; be clear, succinct and specific.

Above All, Be Prepared

As unfortunate as it may seem, crises happen in regattas. Effective communication in these situations is paramount. With preparedness, clarity and truthfulness, a regatta’s organizing authority can face these rare occasions with confidence.