Newport hosts foreign teams

When the Parkstone Yacht Club awoke in Costa Mesa last Thursday, they started the day by stretching their legs. The three young sailors from Poole, England left their room at the Holiday Inn Express in Costa Mesa without a map ? figuring that the Balboa Yacht Club was just a spin around the corner.

Five miles and a few hours later, the group arrived at the club dripping with perspiration. When it came time to go home, the Britons ? who had never walked American streets before ? opted for a taxi instead.

“I was at the yacht club when they arrived, and they didn’t look any worse for wear,” said Bob Strang, chairman of the 40th annual Governor’s Cup.

The Governor’s Cup is one of the Balboa Yacht Club’s biggest events of the year. The annual event, running from July 17 to July 22, draws young sailors from around the world, with many of them getting their first taste of the United States on the shores around Newport Harbor.

“We try to limit half to American and half to foreign,” said publicity chairwoman Nancy Mellon about this year’s competition, which features three teams from Australia, two from New Zealand and one from England.

Every January, organizers mail invitations to yacht clubs around the world, encouraging them to send in resumes and apply to compete. Out of those hundreds of envelopes, the judges choose 12 teams for the competition. In the past, contestants have come from as far as Italy, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands.

For that week in July, then, the Balboa Yacht Club plays host to the world.

“They looked around for different races they can compete in, and this was one they felt would kind of bolster their credentials and get them into other races,” said Bruce Miller, a Newport Beach resident who is hosting the Royal Perth Yacht Club from Australia. “For them, this was a big deal, to travel this far and actually compete against some of the people they compete against at home.”

Each of the visiting clubs stays in the Newport area with a host family. Miller said his guests rose early in the morning to go on runs, and kept to a strict regimen during the day. Connie Hughes, who has the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron staying at her house, said her backyard has turned into a memorable sight, as the three boys on the team hang their spinnaker out to dry over her trees.

“It’s huge,” she said. “The one they’re using is red and white, so it looks like a circus tent.”