Where the Figawi? Not on Nantucket – for the third year in a row. The traditional tent party along the island’s waterfront that was among the highlights of the annual sailboat race from Hyannis to Nantucket won’t happen again this year. And, as was the case in 2021, the race will happen, but the boats will not come to the island but instead start and finish in Hyannis Port.
“While we would love to be able to have the annual Figawi Race Weekend in the same format we’ve had for the last 51 years, there were too many obstacles for 2022,” said Shelley Crawford, the executive director of Figawi Charities, Inc. “We were unable to secure our venue and between uncertainty with the permit process of the island as well as the greatly increased logistics, we have scheduled the 2022 event in Hyannis.”
Crawford said all of the “off the water events” associated with the two-day race will be held on the mainland around the Hyannis waterfront, and Nantucket Police Chief Bill Pittman confirmed that no permits had been requested for gathering on the island.
“We are profoundly thankful to the island of Nantucket for being such an amazing host for the last 50 years and truly hope that at some point we may return,” she added.
The Crawford Cup, formerly known as the Figawi High School Invitational, will be expanded this year. The Cup is named after the late J. David Crawford who served on the Figawi Board for over 30 years and was the charity’s chair for many of those years. The Figawi organization’s goal is to grow the Crawford Cup into a premiere youth event on Cape Cod.
Registration for this year’ss main race will be open by February 15th. Visit figawi.com for more information.
