Line-up near set for Governor’s Cup

Eleven of the twelve skippers have received invitations to the 58th Governor’s Cup International Youth Match Racing Championship to be held July 30-August 3 2025 in Corona Del Mar, CA. The final invitation will go to the winner of the 2025 U.S. Youth Match Racing Championship.

The Governor’s Cup, is the oldest youth (under 23 years old) match racing championship in the world.

2024 World Youth Match Racing Champion Cole Tapper (AUS) will seek to defend his 2024 Governor’s Cup title but will face Justin Callahan (USA), who finished third last year. Callahan’s 2024 petit final opponent, Josh Hyde (NZL), will also be a threat, now positioned second behind Tapper in the World Sailing Youth Match Racing Rankings.

Europe will be represented by Adam Leddy (IRL), the Irish Youth Match Racing Champion; Victor Melchior (DEN), podium finisher and best youth sailor in three Open MR events in Denmark; and Theo Westerlind (SWE) who will follow in his brother Marius Westerlind’s footsteps, a popular former Governor’s Cup competitor and 2022 Semi-finalist.

Morgan Pinckney (USA), a two-time podium finisher and #8 in the youth rankings, has entered along with Michael Kirkman (USA), the U.S. Intercollegiate Match Racing Champion.

“Choosing additional entries from among a record number of Requests for Invitation from Australia and New Zealand was tough,” said Brian Bissell, Chair of the Selection Committee (and a Governor’s Cup winner). ”We did our best to use ‘head-to-head’ records among the contenders to pick one additional Aussie and one Kiwi sailor to compete.”

The Committee chose Daniel Kemp (AUS), the 3rd ranked youth world match racer and 2024 competitor, and Ethan Fong (NZL), 5th on that ranking list.

As host yacht club, Balboa Yacht Club is entitled to name one representative and for the second year, Siena Nichols has accepted that invitation. As Nichols is entered in the 2025 U.S. Youth Match Racing Championship, should she win, the Rose Cup automatic berth will go instead to the Selection Committee’s first alternate selection, Julian Hill (CAN).

Details: https://www.govcupracing.com/

Source: BYC