Gilmour shines in quarterfinals
Lachy Gilmour has a familiar surname in the sailing community. He’s the youngest son of Peter Gilmour, the renowned Australian sailor.
Gilmour gets asked a lot about being Peter’s son and the youngest of three elite sailing brothers. When someone asks if he’s the best Gilmour of the three, he modestly avoids the question. He knows he has a lot to live up to in every regatta, especially at the 49th annual Governor’s Cup, where his brother and coach Sam won the past two titles.
“It’s good to have the name, but you have to prove yourself in the end,” Lachy said.
Lachy certainly proved himself Thursday in the Governor’s Cup quarterfinals, a round robin series. The skipper of the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (Australia) went 5-0 in Corona del Mar to lead the eight teams vying to reach the final four, the semifinals.
Lachy, who has Alex Negri and Cameron Seagreen on his team, has yet to race fellow Australian Harry Price of Cruising Yacht Club and Annabel Vose of Royal Southern Yacht Club of the United Kingdom.
Balboa Yacht Club, the home team skippered by Christophe Killian, went 3-2 to start the quarterfinals, losing to Lachy Gilmour and Jack Thompson of Newport Harbor Yacht Club.
Killian, a Corona del Mar High alumnus, and Thompson, also a CdM alum, are roommates at College of Charleston.
The quarterfinals are set to be completed Friday, when some of the semifinal races are also expected to take place just beyond the Balboa Pier. The finals are set for Saturday.
Killian is trying to end BYC’s 35-year drought of the home team being without the Gov Cup trophy.
Lachy is trying to follow in his brother’s footsteps. Sam Gilmour finished fifth in his first year in the Gov Cup.
Lachy is in his first year in the Gov Cup and in his first year of match racing. This is also his first match racing regatta away from his home in Perth, Australia.
Sam Gilmour also deals with the questions about his surname, and his father.
“The family name, people recognize you that’s all it really stands for,” Sam Gilmour said. “It probably makes it even harder. They see the name and they might try harder to come at you. A lot of people know the name. It’s a bit of an icebreaker. They say, ‘Oh, you’re the Gilmour,’ and then they might talk about dad.”
Price is close behind Lachy with four wins. Chris Weis of Del Rey Yacht Club is tied with Killian at three wins.
Thompson and Leonard Fry of Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron have two wins each in the quarterfinals.
Vose, win one win, had a rough day, as did San Diego Yacht Club Scott Sinks, who went 0-5.