Tom Forquer”Drifting backward,” said Steven Natvig of...

Tom Forquer

“Drifting backward,” said Steven Natvig of King Harbor Yacht Club,

describing part of his sailing experience.

The first day of the 37th annual Governor’s Cup Junior Match

Racing Championship was met unfavorably by Mother Nature, who did not

even provide enough wind to complete the racing schedule on Thursday.

“It ranged from 0 to 8 out of the west,” said Len Bose, part of

the Cup’s staff and fleet captain of Balboa Yacht Club, the host of

the four-day event. “We certainly are hoping for more breeze.”

Nicky Souter, skipper for Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club of

Australia, said the winds proved challenging.

“The wind conditions were quite difficult, especially with waves,

the slop,” he said.

Unlike traditional sailboat racing, where you simply want to cross

the finish line as quickly as possible, match racing focuses on

keeping your competitor at a tactical disadvantage through the use of

right-of-way rules.

“There wasn’t much match racing out there,” said Trey Wattson,

Newport Harbor Yacht Club crew member. “Everyone was looking for

speed.”

“It was a challenge to keep your head in the game mentally,” said

Phil Stemler, skipper for the Newport Harbor Yacht Club team.

Despite the lack of match racing on the course, some took place in

the pre-start when the boats were confined to a small area, Stemler

said.

Though the local teams might have had more years of experience

with conditions described by one competitor as “typical Balboa,”

everyone had an equal amount of time racing the Governor’s Cup 21 --

zero.

The new 21-foot, three-person boats were designed and built

specifically for this event and location, replacing the Santana 20s

that the Balboa Yacht Club members had loaned for the event in other

years.

Reviews from the sailors were mixed.

“I like it a lot better than a Santana. It’s more maneuverable,”

said Whitney Loufek of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club team.

King Harbor Yacht Club skipper Scott DeCurtis disagreed.

“You really have no maneuverability with the rudder,” he said.

Increased wind would give the rudder power, while less wind would

make it useless, he said.

His teammate Mark Spector added, “They don’t track very well.”

Stemler found them “clean, easy to use.”

Differences of opinion aside, most would have agreed with Danielle

Richards of San Diego when she said that “It’s good to have

standardized boats.”

Some of the boats from the Santana 20 fleet had an age difference

of more than two decades, making it difficult for race organizers to

maintain their equality.

Despite the numerous challenges, the spirit of racing was still

present at the event.

“There’s good teams out there. It’s a lot of fun,” Wattson said.

Races will continue today and Saturday and conclude Sunday, when

the winners of the Governor’s Cup will be decided.

* TOM FORQUER is a Daily Pilot intern. He can be reached at

[email protected].