Champions defend their title

Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club win the Governor's Cup in Corona del Mar, CA

In 2004, the team of Murray Gordon, Helm, Craig Souter, Middle, and Tom Spithill, bow, raced their first regatta together and went home winners. This year, two of the three returned, adding Hamish Roughley in place of Craig, and proved that they really know how to work together. They will wear the red hats of the winners again! Regatta Chairman, Bob Strang, had presented them with red hats, donated by Ullman Sails, at the Welcome Dinner. They wore them proudly throughout the week. Bob Strang gave them another set along with their take home Gov Cup trophies at the Awards Banquet. Perhaps they will return with them next year.

The banquet was a delightful event, with many parents attending. Trophies were presented to the fifth through first teams by Bob Scharnell, representing the primary sponsor, Boatswain’s Locker. The dress for the day for the gentlemen was blazers, and the young competitors looked very different and very handsome in their jackets and ties. The highly desired Purcell award for Sportsmanship was presented to the Balboa Yacht Club team.

RPAYC had three wins and one loss on the first day of racing in the round robin series. At the end of the second day, four teams were tied with five wins and four losses. The finish of the round robin series was held on Friday morning, when the final two sets of races were held. The team from Finland had ten wins and one loss, losing only to Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. The semi finals for the top four teams were completed that afternoon, leaving NJK (Finland) in first place, having won their race with South of Perth. In second place, ready to race NJK, was RPAYC, winner of their contest with Southern Yacht Club.

On the last day of racing, the teams went out to find a change in the weather. The earlier winds had been mild, but on Saturday they were blowing between 14 and 16 knots. The ocean was lively, with heavy chop. The Royal Prince Alfred team really shone in the heavier winds, and ended the day being towed in as winners, met by a huge water spray from the Harbor Department. They arrived back at the club, soaked, to be met by horns and cannon. They were so wet that no one made the effort to toss them into the water, usually a tradition with the teams from down under. Their coach, Murray Walters, who had accompanied them from New South Wales, Australia, was justifiably proud. Eight coaches had enjoyed the week, observing the races from Craig Fletcher’s Gemini.

The highest placing two US teams, Southern Yacht Club and Balboa Yacht Club, are invited to the International Youth Match Race Series that takes place in February at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in Auckland. The top US team also qualifies for the Cowes Youth Week Match Race regatta held in Cowes, Isle of Wight, England the following year.

This challenging youth event has been made possible by the assistance of our generous sponsors. With the commitment from Boatswain’s Locker to be our primary sponsor in 2006, as well as the promise of most of the Gov Cup Committee members to return for that event, we expect that the 40th Challenge will be another highly successful competition. The BYC team plans to stay together for another year, practicing and racing throughout the year to prepare for 2006. There was a lot of talk among the competitors about which participants would be able to return, since they need to be under 20 years of age to race in the Gov Cup. Silja Lehtinen, the highly successful helmsman on the team from Finland, turns 20 before the next Challenge so will not be participating next year.

The Balboa Yacht Club team will also be racing in the Sears Cup, as will the King Harbor Yacht Club team. This US Sailing Triple Handed Championship will be using the same Gov Cup 21 boats, designed by club member Alan Andrews, and will be sailed during the week of August 8 through 12, 2005, from Balboa Yacht Club.

Final of the 39th Governors Cup Challenge
1st Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club
2nd Nylandska Jatklubben
3rd South of Perth Yacht Club
4th Southern Yacht Club
5th Balboa Yacht Club
6th Newport Harbor Yacht Club
7th Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
8th Cruising Yacht Club of Australia
9th Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron
10th King Harbor Yacht Club
11th San Francisco Yacht Club
12th Seattle Yacht Club