2020 Governor’s Cup is cancelled

Balboa Yacht Club has cancelled the 2020 Governor’s Cup Youth International Match Race Championship that had been scheduled for July 20-25 in Newport Beach, CA.

Said Governor’s Cup Steering Committee Chair Andy Rose, “It was a very tough vote for all of us. But, after a thorough briefing by BYC Fleet Surgeon and internationally prominent neurosurgeon Dr. Rob Bray on the COVID-19 situation, and extensive communication with invitees and coaches, we determined that holding or postponing the Cup until later in the year was not feasible.”

The Governor’s Cup is the oldest youth match racing event in the world, only two years younger than the renown Congressional Cup which last week cancelled its 56th running.

“We will be back next year to make the 2021 Cup the best ever,” said event Chair Christine Robertson Gribben. “Happily, none of this year’s invited skippers will reach their 23rd birthday by the end of next year’s edition to be held July 19-24, so all will again be age-eligible if they continue their match racing success. Although, we sadly presume we won’t see three-time runner-up Leonard Takahashi who will represent Japan in the 49er class in next year’s Olympic Games.”

Even if the eight international teams could have made it to California, most would have faced fourteen-day quarantine and perhaps other restrictions upon returning home.

“While Dr. Bray had designed an extensive testing protocol for the event,” noted Rose, “he agreed that recent developments in the spread of the virus make it impossible to host the Cup in the manner in which teams, coaches, and BYC members expect of us and in fact, it became highly unlikely that all or even most of invited skippers would ultimately be able to attend.”

The Notice of Race, the event brochure and information on requesting an invitation for the 2021 Governor’s Cup will be available in January 2021 at https://www.govcupracing.com

Source: BYC