Eight countries for 56th Governor’s Cup

The twelve-team field for the 56th Governor’s Cup International Youth Match Racing Championship will have a record eight countries represented when the 2023 event is held July 25-29 in Newport Beach, CA.

Following the ten skippers confirmed in April, the final invitees are Morgan Pinckney (Newport Beach, CA) and Justin Callahan (Miami, FL) based on their success at the 2023 U.S. Youth Match Racing Championship for the Rose Cup that ended June 25 in Sheboygan, WI.

The Governor’s Cup is for sailors who have not reached their 23rd birthday by the last day of the regatta. It is the world’s oldest international youth match racing championship.

The Governor’s Cup Selection committee had designated the top two finishers in the Rose Cup to receive invitations provided the skippers had previously indicated that he or she could sail if invited. Since the Rose Cup winner Chapman Petersen has a conflict with a pre-Olympic regatta in the ILCA class, Pinckney and Callahan, which finished second and third, received the invitations.

These two final invitees will face tough competition from all over the world. Early favorites would have to include 2021 Governor’s Cup champ Jeffrey Petersen from the host Balboa Yacht Club who finished second last year and is the reigning Youth Match Race World Champion. Josh Hyde (NZL) from the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron will also be a strong contender, as will veteran Cole Tapper (AUS) from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.

The racing starts with a double round-robin qualifying stage with the top four advancing to the knock-out matches

“We take pride in studying our competition beforehand through film and watching them at other competitions to see their tactical tendencies, speed, etc,” said Petersen. “This new crop of GovCup sailors are mostly unknown to us, and on paper as a group they look very strong.”

The championship is sailed in Governor’s Cup 22 sloops provided by the Newport Balboa Sailing & Seamanship Association and Balboa YC.