WWW.GOVCUPRACING.COM
JULY 22 - 27, 2024 AT BALBOA YACHT CLUB
Why does the Governor’s Cup matter?
The easiest answer is “the kids” and that includes not only the competitors but also the young people serving as boat hostesses and hosts, and younger BYC Junior Program members with big dreams. But to the extent that one of the objectives of the Balboa Yacht Club is to “give back’ to the sport we love, the Governor’s Cup fills that bill “in spades.” It has helped start the careers of many of the world’s most successful sailors. But even more importantly, it has helped develop life-long friendships among the competitors. And, as any of you who have attended a “Gov Cup” can attest, it renews your faith in young people from all over the world. These are engaged, smart and personable competitors who are a credit to their clubs and countries.
In the beginning...
California Governor (later US President) Ronald Reagan granted the Deed of Gift for the Governor’s Cup to Balboa Yacht Club in 1967 “for the purpose of encouraging Youth Racing in the State of California and the recognition of the skill and high performance of those men and women under twenty years of age…” As an invitation only match racing regatta, the Governor’s Cup was established by the late Chet and Glee Purcell. Mr. and Mrs. Purcell had a vision that a national match racing competition should be created for younger sailors, similar in format to the internationally recognized Congressional Cup Regatta. As the years progressed, the Governor’s Cup grew in popularity with its first international team participating in 1989. Since then, teams from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Finland, and Spain have participated and become regular entrants and often multiple winners. The Cup has served as a gateway for future champions in collegiate competition, the Olympics, Congressional Cup, Swedish Match Tour, and numerous America’s Cups. The Governor’s Cup has a special relationship with the America’s Cup with the latter having visited Balboa Yacht Club during “Gov Cup Week” twice in recent years. Norbert Bajurin, Commodore of the current holder of the America’s Cup, said it best, “The Governor’s Cup is the America’s Cup for youth.” Truer words were never spoken. BYC can be very proud of this illustrious history and its alumni from fourteen countries and territories around the world. When you watch this and every year’s Governor’s Cup, you are seeing some of the future stars of the sport.