Best seats in the house are on the water

As the 12 sailboats operated by international youths between the ages of 12 and 19 pulled away from Balboa Yacht Club before noon Tuesday, the first day of the sailing competition in the club’s Governor’s Cup was confirmed.

Governor’s Cup chairman Bob Strang led the boats, which were towed out to sea near Newport Pier.

Boats filled with spectators anxious to see how the first day of competition would pan out followed the fleet. Everyone was getting ready for the 1 p.m. kick-off of the regatta.

With the youth sailors competing in match race fashion off the Newport Beach coast through Saturday, viewers have a number of options for where they can view the cup.

According to Len Bose, in charge of the Governor’s Cup boats, watching the competitions from spectator boats is really the way to go.

“It’s much more beneficial to view from beyond the water,” Bose said. “It’s like being in the front row compared to the back row.”

Those in spectator boats are not allowed to sail close to the racers or communicate with them, but viewing from the water seems a worthwhile experience.

“It’s great if your passion is sailing and match racing, because being that close makes it feel like you’re watching video from a videotape,” Bose said of the view.

Spectators seem to agree, as most of Tuesday’s viewers were watching from boats.

Bose said weekday competition usually brings about 10 spectator boats, and weekend competition brings about 15 to 20.

Doris Stoughton, who is hosting the team from Australian Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in her home, said she and her husband like to watch the regatta on the weekend from their boat.

“We always go out in our boat to watch the last day, and sometimes we’ll crank up the down-under music for them,” Stoughton said for the sailors she hosts from the Australian club.

For those who don’t have boats from which to view the races, members at the Balboa Yacht Club said they are happy to welcome passengers aboard their boats.

If you would rather stick to land, Newport Pier is a good location from which to view, because the youth sailors compete just off the pier.

Though most at the pier Tuesday did not go specifically to watch the Governor’s Cup, viewers seemed to enjoy the surprise.

“I didn’t know about the races, but I might stay and watch,” said San Diego mom Lindy Inglis on vacation with her two children. “This seems like a good spot, because we can yell and cheer for them off the pier,” she said of the racers.

The beach to the left of the pier also allows for good viewing if you want to get your feet sandy during the regatta.

This is the 40th year the Governor’s Cup is setting sail, so if you want to take part in the tradition, head over to these locations. You can’t miss the sailboats.dpt.19-govcup-1-CPhotoInfoOL1T2KLP20060719j2mhmfncCredit: MARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT Caption: (LA)Sailboats (8), left, (9), center, and (3), right, compete during Tuesday’s Governor’s Cup race.