GOVCUP: Nice ink in the LA Times about the strength of this week's 12-team field, led by two-tim

NEWPORT BEACH, CA (#1163) – Today's LA Times has an excellent article by Daily Pilot sports reporter Andrew Turner headlined "Youth match racing skippers sail for stardom in 53rd Governor’s Cup." Andrew does a good job previewing the top-flight competitors in this week's 53rd edition of Balboa Yacht Club's prestigious international youth match racing championship. Regatta Chair Christine Robertson has called it the strongest field in the long and storied history of the GovCup.

Here's an excerpt from Mr. Turner's article:

The Governor’s Cup International Youth Match Racing Championship prides itself on being a gateway event for future stars in the sport of sailing.

So it was proven true once again last year, when Australia’s Harry Price won his second title at the prestigious tournament in his swan song.

The invitation-only event brings together many of the best sailors from around the globe, but they must be no older than 22 years of age.

Price now ranks second in World Sailing’s open match racing rankings, delivering on the promise shown by many of the alumni of the world’s oldest youth match racing regatta.

The 53rd Governor’s Cup, hosted by Balboa Yacht Club in Newport Beach, begins on Monday and runs through Saturday, and a fleet of 12 skippers will vie for their first victory in the event. The competitors will hail from six different countries – Australia, Denmark, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States.

There will be several veterans returning, most notably Leonard Takahashi of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. Takahashi has finished as the runner-up in each of the last two years of Governor’s Cup action.

The regatta will also feature three skippers currently ranked inside the top 25 in the world for open match racing.

Read the full story here.

Please join us for this week's GovCup TV live coverage that begins with the "Meet the Teams" at the Opening Dinner Monday evening. We go live with that at 8pm Pacific (2000 PDT / 0300+1 UTC / 1500+1 NZT / 1300+1 AEST) on the BYC Governor's Cup Facebook page.