GOVERNOR’S CUP:Newport Harbor crowned

For results and more information on the Governor’s Cup, go to www.balboayachtclub.com

NEWPORT BEACH — Chris Segerblom looked like a pirate searching for his lost treasure Saturday.

His expensive sunglasses were missing, so he dove off the Balboa Yacht Club dock into the water.

The rest of Newport Harbor Yacht Club’s three-man crew, Michael Menninger and Cole Hatton, observed.

“No chance,” Hatton yelled about Segerblom’s hopes of finding the sunglasses.

The water was so dark that at times it made it difficult to spot Segerblom.

“You’re not even down there for like two seconds,” Menninger chimed in.

Segerblom listened to the skipper, popping out the water and pushing himself back on the dock.

The two didn’t need to remind the youngest crew member that Newport Harbor had already claimed the most important booty of the day — the 41st annual Governor’s Cup.

Segerblom smiled, forgetting his shades. No need for the sunglasses with the clouds out. The three didn’t need the sun to beam because it was time to celebrate winning the oldest youth match racing regatta in the country.

Newport Harbor won the best-of-three series against defending champion King Harbor of Redondo Beach, taking the first and last match of the U.S. International Junior Match Racing Championship.

Instead of the traditional bucket dumping in a sport like football, Segerblom and Hatton still found a way to douse Menninger.

The duo tackled him into the water after the 18-year-old steered the boat to success.

Menninger never saw it coming as he was checking the sheet that listed the boat’s parts that needed to be returned. He dropped the sheet on the dock, following that was a “boom” and “splash” with his crew joining him in the water.

Menninger enjoyed crashing into the same waters where his father Bill Menninger steered the Los Angeles Yacht Club to the Governor’s Cup in 1973.

“I’m just a little speechless,” said Michael, struggling with words as he was with drying off.

To explain the crew’s success, the recent Newport Harbor High graduate and future St. Mary’s College of Maryland sailor just pointed to the words taped on the keelboat.

Every boat Newport Harbor sailed during the five-day competition had “DO WORK.” Not the prettiest presentation, as the trio used electrical tape, but like in any sport, it’s not how you look, but how you finish.

Newport Harbor dominated the event in its own waters, going 25-2.

Despite the edge, St. Thomas Yacht Club of the Virgin Islands skipper Taylor Canfield continually said Newport Harbor was beatable. Canfield led the way before, giving Newport Harbor its first loss early on during round-robin action.

In the best-of-three semifinal series against Newport Harbor, St. Thomas stood no chance.

Before reaching the finals against King Harbor, Newport Harbor beat St. Thomas earlier in the day for the sweep. The day before, Newport Harbor finished ahead in the first semifinal against St. Thomas. Afterward, Canfield once again referred to Newport Harbor’s unblemished record in the last 15 races being in jeopardy.

Hatton, a Newport Harbor graduate in charge of the middle, took notice.

“I read that,” said the 17-year-old Stanford-bound sailor, referring to Canfield’s remarks made in the Daily Pilot. “But then I kind of kept reading and that was the end.”

Hatton was right about St. Thomas’ future. Newport Harbor knocked it into the third-place race against the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. The Australians came out on top in that challenge after losing to King Harbor, 2-1, in the semifinals.

One of the few teams giving Newport Harbor competition in which Annapolis Yacht Club of Maryland finished fifth, followed by Balboa Yacht Club, Southern Yacht Club of New Orleans, California Yacht Club of Marina del Rey, Long Beach Yacht Club, San Francisco Yacht Club, Corinthian Sailing Club of Dallas and Coronado Yacht Club, Menninger said Australia was one of those.

He and the rest of the crew figured the defending champ would, too.

King Harbor, with skipper Steve Natvig and Blake Smisko back, along with newcomer, Wes Byrne, proved to be a formidable opponent. It came on strong after going 3-3 on the first day by winning 16 of its next 19 races.

The first race against Newport Harbor went Newport Harbor’s way. The second went to King Harbor, which battled back from a 30-second deficit, leaving Hatton to question himself and the crew after losing for the first time since the second day.

“I was thinking, ‘This is the Governor’s Cup race, like the winning race and then it just got taken away from us,’” he said. “But we still had one more chance.”

One more opportunity to get their names on the Governor’s Cup and become the first crew since 1998 to win it for Newport Harbor Yacht Club.

But once again Hatton, and now the rest of the crew, worried.

King Harbor wasn’t going away. It drew a foul when rounding the mark with Newport Harbor, boosting King Harbor’s chances to repeat. Newport Harbor was forced to complete a 270-degree turn because of the infraction.

“We were freaking about when to do our penalty turn, because you can do it at any time in the race,” Hatton said. “We were going upwind and we thought we could do it. So we did it.”

Newport Harbor did just that, with flair. It caught King Harbor, sailing away after rounding the final weather mark en route to finishing first, two boat lengths ahead.

The reason behind Newport Harbor’s burst? Natvig just said the crew is “fast.”

Nearby boats congratulated the winner by blowing horns, but the loudest noise came from Hatton. He screamed, “Get it!” Everyone started to high-five each other then Hatton fell off the boat.

Segerblom, the bowman and future Newport Harbor sophomore, just laughed. He had to after a couple of memorable experiences.

“I don’t think I have ever felt like so down and defeated,” he said when Newport Harbor trailed. “But then when we hit the finish line, I had never been so excited.”

So jubilant was Segerblom that he couldn’t keep on his sunglasses.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].