Alfred’s Youth team wins Governors Cup

by Di Pearson on 26 Jul 2004 The Australian Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club Youth team of Murray Gordon 18 (helm), Craig Souter 17 and Tom Spithill 16 have won the 38th annual Governors Cup International Youth Match Racing Regatta hosted by Balboa Yacht Club, in California USA, defeating 11 other international teams for the title.

The three, who come from famous sailing families, finished the Round Robin phase of the event in second place young, really stepped up to the plate, winning 3-0 in the best of five Final from the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron crew of Adam Minoprio, Jonothan Ramkin and Alex Hinton.

This is the Alfred’s second victory in this event. They previously won in 1992 with Anthony Merrington at the helm and it is believed to be only the third time an Australian team has lifted the historic trophy – and is seen by some as the junior version of the America’s Cup.

Commenting on their win, the Alfred's mainsheet hand Craig Souter said, ‘we had such a battle with the CYCA in the semis (3-2) that we were fully fired up for the final against the Kiwis’ Souter went on to praise their Alfred’s coach, Des Davis.

In a great result for Australia, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia team of helm, Jacqui Bonnitcha, Tom Clout and Sam Newton, defeated Del Ray Yacht Club to take third place. Bonnitcha was one of only two female skippers at the event and her team was coached in Sydney by Bonnitcha’s mother, Jenni.

Included in the line-up were teams from clubs in the USA, Europe and Australia, racing in Balboa's fleet of new matched 21' sloops.

This prestigious event is the oldest youth (U20) match racing regatta in the world having been instituted in 1967 by Deed of Gift by former USA President, Ronald Reagan, who at that time was Governor of California.

Past competitors in the Cup include former Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Paul Cayard, Morgan Larson, multiple Congressional Cup winners Argyle Campbell and Dennis Durgan and many America’s Cup sailors.

Having won the Cup, Souter and Spithill will fly back to school at Sydney's Mater Maria College on Wednesday.

Their skipper, Gordon, will head directly from the USA to the United Kingdom where he will team up with other Alfred's sailors Peter McKewan and James Catts to compete in the Skandia Cowes Youth Week U25 Match Racing Regatta commencing August 1st. Earlier this year Gordon led a team to victory in the Line7 Youth event in Wellington NZ.

Detailed results at http://www.balboayachtclub.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=dsp&page=sailing_race_detail&recid=473&info=sailing_race_detail_results