It’s all in the boat

June Casagrande

In most yacht races, any sore loser can cry foul about the boats,

saying that a handicap didn’t really compensate for some speedy

vessel’s advantage. Not so with the Governor’s Cup.

In this annual regatta, the compact Santana 20 acts as the great

equalizer.

Using boats on loan from private owners -- yacht club members and

other locals -- race officials assure everyone’s on equal watercraft.

And, just to assure there’s not even a subtle hardware advantage,

teams are constantly swapping boats, and boats are constantly

swapping sails and spinnakers throughout the race.

“The idea is that they’re all identical,” said Jack Butefish, a

spokesman for the 36th annual Governor’s Cup at the Balboa Yacht

Club.

The Santana 20s, he explained, were the perfect choice for the

annual race for a couple of reasons.

“They have to be one of the most popular boats in Newport Harbor,”

Butefish said of the boats manufactured by W.D. Schock Corp. of

Corona . “And these little things are quick.”

Popularity is more important than might meet the eye.

Because the race depends on private boat owners to loan their

sloops to strangers, more popular boats means more potential boat

donors.

Brett Hemphill donated his Santana, Magic Carpet Ride, for the

race. He said his choice to own a Santana 20 dates back to the days

when economy was a priority.

Years later, he’s still happy with his purchase.

“I was already familiar with them and at the time I could buy one

of these for the same price as a Lido 14,” said Hemphill, who’s also

a Balboa Yacht Club member.

He added that donating a boat for the race is a fun way to feel a

part of an important international competition that’s open only to

sailors 19 and younger.

“It’s part of what makes it fun,” he said.