BYC closes in on finals spot

The Balboa Yacht Club team of skipper Christophe Killian, middle Harrison Vandervort and bow Jack Martin is on the verge of having the opportunity to end a significant drought in the Governor’s Cup.

BYC, the home team, has gone 35 years without the coveted trophy in the international junior match racing regatta. Killian is one win away from reaching the finals. BYC is 2-1 against Harry Price of Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in a best-of-five semifinal.

The quarterfinals round-robin series were completed Friday just beyond the Balboa Pier. Lachy Gilmour’s Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club of Perth, Australia grabbed the top seed for the semifinals. Gilmour selected to race against Chris Weis of Del Rey Yacht Club in the semifinals.

Gilmour is 2-1 against Weis. Gilmour is the youngest son of renowned Australian sailor Peter Gilmour, whose middle son, Sam, won the past two Governor’s Cup titles. Sam Gilmour is at the regatta coaching his younger brother.

Before the Governor’s Cup began the BYC team talked about the prestige of the regatta, and how it just may be the best junior match racing event in the world.

There are extracurricular events after each day of racing. The regatta has elite 21-and-under racing teams, as it is by invitation only.

BYC qualified for the Governor’s Cup by winning the Rose Cup for the second straight year.

Vandervort enjoys a specific part of the Governor’s Cup. He said he likes how a lot of the BYC members’ children treat the home team and the rest of the sailors, as if they are heroes.

Vandervort and the BYC team know that if they win the 49th Governor’s Cup they will be big-time heroes, sailing stars.

They stand one win away from reaching the opportunity for that goal.

The completion of the semifinals and the finals will take place Saturday, starting around noon.

— Steve Virgen