Governor’s Cup International Junior Match Race Championship

by Nancy Mellon on 5 Jun 2014 For the 48th Annual Governor’s Cup International Junior Match Race Championship the Selection Committee has selected nine of the twelve international and US teams that will compete in this year’s regatta which will be held at Balboa Yacht Club from July 14-19 in Newport Beach, California.

The Committee chose four international teams, with two from Australia and two from New Zealand. Australia will be represented by two teams: 2013 Gov Cup winner Sam Gilmour from the Royal Freshwater Bay YC and Murray Jones of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, a club which has been a frequent podium finisher in the Cup. From New Zealand, George Brasell will lead the team from Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron while Adam Middleton will be skipper of the team from Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club. Adam served as crew on the winning team in 2012.

For the first time, two former 'Gov Cup' winners, Gilmour and SDYC's Nevin Snow, will be among perhaps the best group of skippers ever selected for the Cup in its 47 year history. In another 'first', US teams will include two from the host club. Ryan Davidson will again be competing for BYC after having placed third in last year’s Governor’s Cup and then, a week later, going on to win the Royal Vancouver YC youth match race event and in doing so, beating Gilmour and New Zealand’s Chris Steele both of whom had finished ahead of him in the Gov Cup. In late 2013, Ryan also placed a close second in the US Intercollegiate Match Race Championships behind another former Governor’s Cup winner, Nevin Snow. Nevin, the winner in 2011 is also returning to try to win again.

Ryan will be joined by BYC member Christophe Killian, who although just graduating from high school, has had extensive success in match racing events, including fourth in last year’s Rose Cup, a National Youth Match Racing Event for US sailors, which in 2015 will be hosted by regatta founder Balboa Yacht Club where it will officially be the first US Sailing United States Youth Match Racing Championship. This will be Christophe’s first Gov Cup. Christophe also placed second in last year’s Musto International Youth Match Racing Regatta in Sydney, Australia, losing only to Chris Steele who is currently ranked 22nd in the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) World Open Match Racing Ratings which, unlike the Governor’s Cup, are not age limited. Antoine Screve, a former US Youth Champion in the 29er dinghy, and a member of the #1 rated Stanford University Sailing Team will represent St. Francis Yacht Club in the Governor’s Cup. From Chicago, former Rose Cup winner Will Holz will return for his third year.

Three additional invitations will go to top three teams at this year’s Rose Cup, which will be hosted this year by Oakcliff Sailing and the Seawanhaka Corinthian YC in Oyster Bay, NY from June 18-22. Twelve US teams will compete in the Rose Cup which, together with its predecessor regatta is now in its sixth year.

'We had always intended to eventually select most US entrants in the Governor’s Cup based on race results in the Rose Cup once it became a US Sailing Championship. The quick growth of that Cup and the quality of its 2014 entrants coupled with the relative equality of the remaining US Gov Cup applicants in contention led us to use those results sooner than we had predicted' said Bill Wakeman, Chair of the Governor’s Cup selection committee.

The Governor’s Cup is the oldest junior match race event in the world and is known as the 'Pathway for Champions' with many alumni going on to America’s Cup and other worldwide sailing success. All competitors must be under the age of 21. 'We are again very pleased with the quality of the invitees and the potential US competitors from the Rose Cup fleet and we believe that the Governor’s Cup will again provide the year’s toughest international match racing test for these young sailors' said Christine Robertson, Governor’s Cup Chair.

Additional information and history are available at Balboa Yacht Club