Balboa Yacht Club team’s goal: win 49th annual Governor’s Cup
The Governor’s Cup is considered a home regatta for the Balboa Yacht Club team of skipper Christophe Killian, middle Harrison Vandervort and bow Jack Martin.
It would probably make sense for each to sleep in their own home during the weeklong regatta that begins with events on Monday. But they like to stick together. They’ll usually stay at Vandervort’s house and will sometimes play video games. They like Mario Kart, makes sense because of the racing.
They were friends before they became a team for match racing five years ago, but the bond became stronger through competition and rigorous training.
They like to have fun, but of course have their serious moments when they’re sailing. Yet, overall they just keep things simple.
“It’s really about who makes the fewest mistakes,” Vandervort says of match racing.
The trio finished third in the Governor’s Cup last year in their debut, after winning the Rose Cup. This year, they repeated as Rose Cup champions, the best youth match racing team in the nation.
Now, they have a common goal: to win the 49th annual Governor’s Cup, the international youth match racing regatta that ends Saturday in Corona del Mar. They’ve been training with the mindset to be the best they can be. Sure they want to win, but recently it’s been about pushing themselves and learning more about what it takes to win.
Talk about keeping things simple.
“We have a good chance,” BYC Coach Mike Pinckney said. “We have to do what we do and not what others want us to do. We just have to get a ticket into the final four and at that point it’s anyone’s game … We look good … We’re excited. The club is excited.”
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Rivalry? What rivalry?
Killian, Vandervort and Martin agree they get along with each other as friends because of their common goals and their desire to win. But they also work well together because of their differences.
Killian, 18, is a Corona del Mar High graduate, Class of 2014. Vandervort, 18, and Martin, 19, went to Newport Harbor, where Vandervort graduated this past spring and Martin last year.
But the Back Bay rivalry has no relevance in the ocean. A Sea King and a couple of Sailors get along easily and have evolved into an elite match racing team since forming five years ago.
The young men share the same type of personality, overall. They’re all laid back for the most part.
Last year in the Governor’s Cup, fresh off their Rose Cup victory, they went undefeated, 6-0, during the first day. They didn’t become overconfident, yet acted somewhat surprised of the accomplishment.
They maintained the mentality that every race is different. They also believed a bit of luck helped them in each win.
The BYC team just moved along, kept sailing and ended up finishing third.
Their diverse, yet fun personalities show in their love for music.
Killian and Vandervort enjoy country music, among several other types of music.
“I despise country music,” Martin says.
They all like classic songs from the ‘70s and bands like the Beatles and Rolling Stones, as well as the Beach Boys.
They usually pick a song to play each day during a regatta, not as matter of superstition, but to keep the mood light.
During the Rose Cup, it was “Lola,” by The Kinks.
“We know that song pretty well,” Killian said. “In the [post-regatta compilation] video for the Rose Cup, Harrison is singing it in the middle of a race.”
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Where it started
Killian didn’t really like sailing or the ocean water when he first began sailing at age 6. Back then he would ride along with his father, Chris, about a half-hour drive to Newport Beach or Corona del Mar for sailing.
Killian says he hated sailing because of the thought of sharks. It wasn’t until he turned 12 he began to really enjoy sailing.
Vandervort was basically the same way, not really fond of sailing when he began at age 6. But he had always been on boats at a younger age, since his father, Rob, had always been sailing at BYC.
Killian and Vandervort seemed as if they became passionate about sailing at a younger age, well, younger than Martin, who didn’t begin sailing until he was 10.
Martin has loved surfing and maintains a strong relationship with the waves.
“I loved sailing from the start, but I hated racing,” Martin said. “I’ve always hated racing and I kind of still don’t like it, but I have two friends who like it. I just stick with it. It’s not that bad. I enjoy sailing with them. Competing is just something we have to do.”
Martin began sailing with Vandervort’s younger sister, Grace, at first. Martin became friends with Killian through trips to Catalina and other events at BYC and really became friends with Vandervort because of Vandervort’s friendship with Killian.
“Five years ago we learned on the same type of boats,” Martin said. “We kind of gravitated to each other. It kind of made sense for us to be in the same boat.”
Killian, as skipper, is the natural leader of the trio. His strong desire to win is contagious. He’s also passionate for competitive races.
“There are times we just crave a hard race,” said Killian, who sails for College of Charleston. “We know we are going to be working hard in every single race. It’s fun to win, but it’s also fun for us to work. We want to get that competition.”
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“The Drought”
It’s been 35 years since Balboa Yacht Club has won the Governor’s Cup. Back in 1980 Jack Franco won the coveted trophy, and BYC hasn’t celebrated a home winner since.
You don’t need to remind the BYC trio. They know plenty about “the drought.”
“I’m going to try as hard as I can to put it out of my head, but I know I’m not going to,” Killian says. “It’s less of a motivator and more of a fear inducer.”
Killian admits the fear only sets in if he thinks about “the drought” too much, so he does his best to keep his mind off it.
“Really it’s about, you just want to win,” Martin says. “[The drought] is just there. We know it is there.”
“We’re a really confident team,” Killian added. “We don’t get flustered.”
Pinckney, a two-time Gov Cup champion (1982, 1983, Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club) is also well aware of “the drought.”
“We just haven’t been able to put it together,” he says. “We’re going down the right path. It’s all about the work we put in, I believe. They’re not doing anything outrageous in changing their thought process. They’re just working. We started young. We’ve matured. We’ve come through. This isn’t their first rodeo. This regatta is one part of the process.”
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The competition
Every year the Gov Cup is tough. This year is no different with the best youth match racing teams coming by invitation.
Last year, Sam Gilmour of Australia’s Royal Freshwater Bay won the Governor’s Cup for the second straight time. This year’s regatta features Gilmour’s younger brother, Lachy. Their father is renowned Australian sailor Peter Gilmour.
New Zealand’s Chris Steele, who won the Governor’s Cup in 2012, has been in town recently as he has been coaching fellow skipper Jack Thompson of Newport Harbor Yacht Club, which is in the Gov Cup.
The American teams also have strong representation from AJ Reiter and Scott Sinks, both leading San Diego Yacht Club teams.
Royal Southern Yacht Club’s Annabel Vose of the U.K. is expected to be a strong contender among the 12 teams vying to win the 49th Governor’s Cup.
Killian, Vandervort and Martin are mainly hoping for those big-time, exciting races that require a lot of work.
They’re also looking forward to the post-race events each day of the regatta, as well as the welcome dinner on Monday night at BYC.
They say they enjoy the regatta’s strong traditions and camaraderie among the teams.
They also enjoy their own friendship. Winning will only strengthen the bond.