30/07/2024
Congratulations to our Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club - RPAYC Youth Development team, who have just finished up racing at the 57th Governor's Cup - Balboa Yacht Club held off Newport Beach in California.
Our team of Daniel Kemp (skipper), Belle Holdsworth, Louis Tilly, and Lachie Wallace placed 8th overall, and first of the 'GovCup first timers' after a very competitive double round robin of racing. The closeness of the fleet was a theme highlighted all week by media provider, Sailing Illustrated, and GovCup 'Guru', Andy Rose.
Throughout the whole event, there would seldom be race wins by significant margins, and it was commonplace for the lowest-ranked teams to take wins from the veteran, top-ranked competitors.
The regatta started with the famous Monday night 'Meet the Teams' dinner on 22 July, before racing from 23-27 July (inclusive). Sailed in custom-designed 'GovCup 22 boats', our team raced in very light, but otherwise perfect, summer conditions.
Of the regatta, skipper Daniel Kemp commented:
"As a team, we are very happy with the amount that we have learnt this week and the close races that we have had. Although our brevity of time in these boats meant that we struggled to convert some crucial races into wins in order to make the semi finals, we felt that we were able to make some terrific progress over the course of the week. We also had loads of fun and were able to enjoy Balboa's exceptional hospitality. Above all, we are so grateful for the hospitality of our host family, Dave and Julie Hirz, for their warmth and support. We are also appreciative of the support provided by our coach, Rob Brewer, throughout the course of the event, as well as our corporate sponsor, Financial Simplicity."
For Kemp and his team, they will now return home and begin training for their next match racing events, including RPAYC's own Harken Australia Pty Ltd Youth International Match Racing Championship in November. The team will be looking to build on their current youth world ranking of 6th.
Our congratulations to the CYCA Youth Sailing Academy team of Cole Tapper, Jack Frewin, and Hamish Vass, who took home the Cup after defeating the defending champions 3-2, marking the first Australian win since 2018.
Our thanks go to the Balboa Yacht Club and all of the officials involved with this years event. RPAYC is honoured to be a part of this prestigious event, and we look forward to a continued partnership with BYC in the future.
