Welcomed winds for Governor’s Cup

Bryce Alderton

Wednesday brought clear skies, warm temperatures and, most

importantly for sailors in the 38th annual Governor’s Cup Challenge,

an increase in winds.

Youth sailors welcomed the greater gusts off Newport Pier in the

first of four days of competition in the premier international junior

match-race championship hosted by Balboa Yacht Club.

The winds, which reached 12 knots Wednesday afternoon -- a jump

from 5 knots earlier in the week -- helped lift defending champion

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron

to wins in all six of their races and a share of the lead in the

12-team field that includes squads from Newport Harbor and Balboa

yacht clubs.

Del Rey Yacht Club won five races while Newport Harbor Yacht Club,

which includes Philip Patrick Stemler, Matthew Hogan and Whitney

Loufek, won four times and is tied for fourth with Royal Prince

Alfred Yacht Club after the first of two round-robin stages. Balboa

Yacht Club and the United States Merchant Marine Academy each won

three races.

The increased gusts caused teams to make adjustments in the boat

to gain any advantage on the water over their opponent.

“This is a heavy wind for Newport,” said helmsman Casey Schilling

of Balboa Yacht Club as he and teammates Christian Emsiek and Wade

Buxton unpacked their gear and rolled up the sail to their boat. “We

are one of the lighter teams, so [the winds] helped.”

“When the breeze picked up, we flattened our sails to catch the

downwind,” Emsiek said. “[The conditions] were perfect for us.”

Schilling, who has sailed for seven years, said he noticed a surge

in the winds after Balboa completed its third race, about 1:30 p.m.,

roughly an hour after competition began.

“It’s windier than last year,” said Sam Newton, 18, of Cruising

Yacht Club who was a member of last year’s winning team.

The windy weather made for a tightly-packed field filled with

experienced sailors, said Nick Scandone, first-year race chairman and

a 30-year Balboa Yacht Club member.

“[Wednesday] was windier than usual and it makes for even racing,”

Scandone said. “In a lighter wind, people tend to separate more.

“Most of these kids are well-prepared for match racing.”

In match racing, one team races against another in a heat while

fleet racing can involve as many as 60 squads competing for the top

prize.

“[Match racing] is a lot more intense and aggressive,” Emsiek

said. “The focus is 100% on your opponent.”

Several sailors this week are racing the “Governor’s Cup 21”

high-performance keel boats for the first time. The crafts drew much

praise for their performances, which included no breakdowns.

“It was a fast-paced day [on the water],” 15-year-old Andrew Jones

of St. Petersburg Yacht Club said.

“These are light boats that don’t take much wind to get up to

competitive speed,” Scandone said. “They have a lot of sail area for

the size of the boat. Part of the skill of sailing is not only

sailing against your competition, but performing the necessary

adjustments on the boat to go as fast as possible.”

Teams, which must have sailors no older than 19, will attempt to

finish the remaining five races in the second round-robin stage today

for positioning into one of the top four spots for the semifinal and

final rounds. Racing is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. today.