Gov Cup Racers Coming to Town

Balboa Yacht Club’s 45th annual Governor’s Cup International Junior Match Racing Championship will get under way next week, building to a climactic last day on Sunday, July 24.

Many Newport Harbor area racers have been a part of the long history of this event. Many of the racers, all 20 or younger, will be staying with host families during their week here.

The racing will be held in the afternoons from Wednesday through Sunday in the ocean near the Balboa Pier. The round-robin format of two boats racing against each other, with each team of three racing against every other team, provides spectators with continuous competition to watch. The talented racers will demonstrate a variety of tactics as they race around marks, often with colorful spinnakers flying. On-the-water umpires will make decisions about rules infractions, assigning penalties to be resolved during the races, so there will be no long protest hearings.

The teams include two from Australia, two from New Zealand, one from Bermuda, one from the United Kingdom, one from the Virgin Islands and five from California. Two of the members of last year’s fifth-place team from San Diego Yacht Club will be competing, as well as two from the second-place Newport Harbor Yacht Club team. Chris Segerblom and Connor Bathen are joined this year by Brooks Clark who also raced last year for a different NHYC team. Also competing again is the team from Balboa Yacht Club including Ryan Davidson, Walker Banks and Brandon Wood.

The boats to be used are the fleet designed by BYC S/C Alan Andrews, purchased by member donations, and donated to the Newport Balboa Sailing and Seamanship Association (NBSSA). They are identical and were created for the local conditions.

Up-to-date reports on the racing and accompanying Governor’s Cup events are available at the event’s website, http://www.balboayachtclub.com/govcup.

GOVERNOR’S CUP 2011 TEAMS

CLUB                                    __________            TEAM MEMBERS (Helm, Middle, Bow)

Balboa Yacht Club                                    Ryan Davidson, Walker Banks, Brandon Wood

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia                        Ashlen Rooklyn, Byron White, Hamish Hardy

King Harbor Yacht Club                                    Dillon Lancaster, Brandon Folkman, Scott Doyle

Newport Harbor Yacht Club                        Chris Segerblom, Connor Bathen, Brooks Clark

Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club            Lance Fraser, Jordon Saints, Jason Saints

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron            David Hazard, Jamie Dawson, Michael Boucher

Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club            Tim Coltman, Michael Cook, Josh Porebski

Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron                        Jordan Reece, Henry Kernot, Arnau Farris-Knowles

Royal Yachting Association                        James French, Robbie Southwell, Thomas Harrison

San Diego Yacht Club                                    Nevin Snow, Jake LaDow, Jake Reynolds

Scuttlebutt Sailing Club                                    Judge Ryan, Kevin Laube, Caitlin Beavers

St Thomas Yacht Club                                    William Bailey, Ian Barrows, Alec Taylor