Governor's Cup - It's Not As Simple As It Appears
Or Do the Results Really Tell The Truth?

CORONA DEL MAR, CA. AUGUST 15, 2003. For the second day of the 37th Challenge for the Governor’s Cup, the conditions on the racecourse were slightly better but still reminiscent of Day 1…light and shifty from the Southwest. In hopes of finding stronger and more consistent wind, the racecourse was placed west of the Newport Pier and the committee elected to start by having the three abandoned matches from Flight 4 sailed first. As the afternoon progressed, two more Flights were completed before racing was called for the day.

After six flights of the scheduled eleven in the round-robin series the United States Merchant Marine Academy is still undefeated with 5 victories. Two teams, the Cruising Club of Australia and Newport Harbor Yacht Club are right behind with 4 victories apiece. Annapolis Yacht Club joins Australian archrivals, the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, with 3 victories each.

But the results are not as simple as they appear. For in a round robin series with an odd number of teams, in this case eleven, each team must sit on the sidelines for one race. After six flights, six teams have had their “bye” and five have yet to sit out a race. Of the top six teams on points, four, the United States Merchant Marine Academy, the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, and Annapolis Yacht Club have had their bye. Newport Harbor Yacht Club and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia have not. With five races remaining to gain the semi-finals, those that have had their “bye” have their destiny in their own hands.

Beginning with Flight 7 Saturday, there will be some exciting matches that could well determine who will make the “Semi-Finals” and point to which team will emerge as the favorite to win the 37th Challenge for the Governor’s Cup.

First up in the 7th Flight will be the match between local rivals Newport Harbor Yacht Club and the host team from Balboa Yacht Club. Balboa Yacht Club with 2 victories needs a win to move closer to the top group and move Newport Harbor Yacht Club a point further back and still facing their “bye”.

The match of the day could well be the next start, which pits two more local rivals, the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, against each other. Both have three wins, and both have already had their “bye”. Clearly the winner will take an advantage into the following rounds.

Depending on the results in the 7th Flight, two matches to watch in Flight 8 are Balboa Yacht Club vs. the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia vs. Annapolis Yacht Club. Each has the potential of bringing the victorious team within reach of the “Semi-Finals”.

With the promise of improving conditions and the top teams as close as they are, Saturday’s racing is likely to be some of the most exciting in this series.

Through Flight 6 the results are as follows:

United States Merchant Marine Academy 5
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia 4
Newport Harbor Yacht Club 4
Annapolis Yacht Club 3
Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club 3
Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron 3
Balboa Yacht Club 2
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron 2
San Francisco Yacht Club 2
King Harbor Yacht Club 1
San Diego Yacht Club 1

For complete race results, please visit www.balboayachtclub.com

The Governor’s Cup is co-sponsored by Boatswain’s Locker/Yanmar and The Daily Pilot. Additional support has been provided by Quiksilver and West Marine.

For further information contact:

Wayne D. Rodgers
Publicity Director
(949) 675-1355
wdrodgers@mindspring.com