Governor's Cup

Click here to visit the Governor's Cup website. 
 

This year's Governor's Cup

Join us this year, July 22 - 27, for the 57th Governor's Cup.  Teams from all over the world are once again coming to BYC to try to win this prestigious youth match racing regatta. We'll kick the week off with a Welcome Dinner on Monday, July 22, open to members and non-members. Racing will take place Tuesday - Saturday, making for an exciting week!  Friday after the races, BYC will host a special reception and press conference for the teams, members, and non-members. 

This is another great event you won't want to miss.  We'll wrap the week up with the final day of races followed by a trophy presentation and reception once everyone comes back from out on the water.  
 

Why the Governor's Cup Matters

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 as you saw during the alumni events in 2016.

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.

For members who volunteer for the Gov Cup, it has its special rewards in helping every year putting on the finest regatta of its type in the world—and the oldest. But it also makes us unique! No other club in recent memory has designed and built a fleet of purpose built boats best suited for their area and we are about to do it again. No other club gets frequent visits from the America’s Cup. And, few clubs can celebrate over fifty years of international regattas like this!
 

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.