Thomas K. Armstrong California Challenge Trophy

Dedicated By Staff Commodore Thomas K. Armstrong 

History
The trophy was originally presented to the California Yacht Club in 1985. The original Deed of Gift was intended to promote team competition between yacht clubs in Santa Monica Bay. Each club was invited to bring their five best boats and crews and compete under a common handicap system. As the years passed, the number of boats per team was slowly reduced to three.

In 1991, the trophy was re-deeded to include teams from all over the State of California. This change immediately helped the regatta with San Diego Yacht Club breaking California Yacht Clubs six year reign on the trophy. The new format called for each club to compete in a Schock 35, a J-24 and two Lasers. This allowed the clubs to demonstrate their abilities in both large and small keelboats as well as dinghies. The addition of the Lasers frequently meant that juniors were included on the teams.

In April 2000 the Trophy was re-activated after sitting dormant for five years. The trophy is now awarded at Cal Race Week to the yacht club whose three boat team has the lowest combined score during the event, counting each boat's final class standing as one score.  A yacht club may enter up to three teams with no single boat on more than one team and no two boats on any team competing in the same class.  California Yacht Club reclaimed the trophy in 2008 after a three year hiatus, with the winning team of Antony Barran's Antrim 40 XL, Jeff Janov's J/105 Invisible and Mike George's Martin 242 All In.

Past Champions