U.S. Youth Match Racing Championship for the Rose Cup - Overall report

by Nancy Mellon on 22 Jun 2015 It is a repeat win for the experienced team from Balboa Yacht Club of Christophe Killian, Harrison Vandervort and Jack Martin, who won the 2014 edition of this regatta. Since then, the regatta has been recognized as an U.S. Sailing Official event: U.S. Youth Match Racing Championship. This year, it returned to the site of the inaugural 2010 event, begun by Balboa Yacht Club members and the Newport-Balboa Sailing and Seamanship Association (NBSSA)

The weather this week has been consistently mild and cool on the water, although very hot inland. On the last day of competition, the weather improved with a temperature 75 degrees and eight to ten knots of breeze. The teams went out to the race course starting at 10:30 am after their morning briefing and participation in the extensive BYC Father's Day brunch.

Racing began shortly after 11 am. Some positions were already decided so not all of the racers competed today. The other racers went out on support and spectator boats to observe. Some unconventional match race starts kept things interesting according to our Tweet editors.

The first to two wins in the finals between Killian's team from BYC and Sinks team from San Diego Yacht Club ended with Killian winning both races. In their first race, Sinks had a penalty at the start but was able to cross the line first. However Killian was able to gain a lead going upwind and finish first. In their second start, Killian was forced to Gybe at entry so Sinks was in control but then hit the pin so carried a penalty. A special Father’s Day celebration was held by the fathers and grandfathers of the three BYC team as they attended the exciting trophy presentation to their sons and grandsons.

Christopher Weis from Del Rey Yacht Club and Nicholas Sertl from Rochester, New York competed for third and fourth in the Petit Finals. In their first race, Weis was able to gain a large lead at the windward mark and win that race. Sertl had won their first race on Saturday. In the third race, Weis rounded the top mark with a big lead and was able to win, finishing in third.

Jack Parkin from Riverside, Connecticut has two wins in his competition with Sean Cornell for fifth place. Cornell had a lead at the start but Parkin and his team was able to gain a lead and chose the correct gate and won so will place in fifth.

For seventh and eighth, Jack Thompson of Newport Beach Yacht Club had two wins against William Curtiss from Chicago Yacht Club and needed one more to place seventh. The first race was between them – they were both eager and were over the line at the start, but Thompson dipped back faster and was able to recover first. However, he had a double penalty at the gate and Curtiss was able to win that one. In their third race, Thompson with his team of Wells Drayton and Robert Garrett gained a big lead and placed seventh in their first Rose Cup. They also were the only team to beat the Killian team during the regatta.

The final results are as follows:

Place - Skipper - Middle - Bow - Yacht Club

1st - Christophe Killian - Harrision Vandervort - Jack Martin - Balboa YC, CA
2nd - Scott Sinks - Andy Reiter - Storm Brown - San Diego YC, CA
3rd - Christopher Weis - Roberto Stevens - Alex Burrow - Del Rey YC, CA
4th - Nicholas Sertl - Hugh MacGillvray - Peter McMillan - Rochester YC, NY
5th - Jack Parkin - Wiley Rogers - Max Brill, Sean Wallace - Riverside YC, CT
6th - Sean Cornell - Scott Ewing - Peter Starflinger - CenterPointe YC, NY
7th - Jack Thompson - Wells Drayton - Robert Garrett - Newport Harbor YC, CA
8th - William Curtis - Colin Richards - Mark Davies - Chicago YC, IL
9th - Jack Barton - Sammy Shea - Jackson Ritter - San Francisco YC, CA
10th - Dane Wilson - Soren Wilde - Cuyler Zimmerman - Santa Barbara YC, CA
11th - Colin Kennedy - Alec Caterson - Austin Colpert - Oyster Bay, NY
12th - Conrad Vanlik - Carl Eaton - Jackson Connell - , Ashley Huynh - Minnetonka YC, MN