Registration for the 38th St. Mary’s College of Maryland Governor’s Cup Yacht Race August 5-6 is at a 10-year-high with more than 100 boats already registered. Organizers anticipate approximately 140 boats will ultimately compete in the Gov Cup, the oldest and longest overnight race on the Chesapeake Bay. To register and for details, see the web site.
Significant changes introduced this year include the introduction of a cruising class and starting slower classes first. Those classes, cruising, PHRF C/D, and PHRF B, will cross the start line beginning at 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, from Annapolis, with the faster classes beginning at 6 p.m. Racers travel down the Chesapeake Bay and will be crossing the finish line starting at dawn Saturday, Aug. 6.
There will be music and food vendors all day and evening Saturday at the college’s James P. Muldoon River Center. Racers and their families and the public are invited.
Tracking competitors live during the race, via GPS, was such a success last year it will be offered again this year. The Kattack GPS system continually tracks the location of each boat, showing speed and distance traveled.