Killian, Martin and Vandervort Win 2014 Rose Cup

The team of Christophe Killian, Jack Martin and Harrison Vandervort from the Balboa Yacht Club (Corona del Mar, CA) has won the 2014 Rose Cup, a U.S. youth national match racing championship on June 20-22. The event was co-hosted by Oakcliff Sailing and the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club in Oyster Bay, New York.

Twelve teams competed, with the top four skippers earning invitations to the 2014 Governor’s Cup, an international youth match racing event held at the Balboa Yacht Club on July 14-19, 2014.

The Houston, Texas team of Dane Byerly, Howdy Hughes and Collin Scoville were awarded the Nick Scandone Sportsmanship Award based on a vote by the competitors and umpires.

Augustina Barbuto from St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands was the top finishing woman skipper, in 6th place, and earned an invitation to the 2014 U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship, July 10-13, 2014, at Oakcliff in their Match 40’s.

Four-time U.S. National Match Racing Champion Dave Perry and North U Director Bill Gladstone ran a two day clinic and continued coaching all the teams during the round robin.

“What impressed me the most,” said Perry, “was the tremendous improvement in the match racing and small keelboat racing skill of all twelve teams. Most had little experience in the Sonars, and some had very little experience in formal match racing. By the last day, it was a true Grade 3 match racing regatta with multiple lead changes and boats overlapped at the finishing line.”

Perry, also Chairman of the US Sailing Match Racing Committee, noted the effort to introduce the 16-20 year old sailors in the U.S. to competitive match racing.

“The Rose Cup is our pinnacle event. We are pleased to announce that next year’s event will be the US Sailing Youth National Match Racing Championship, hosted by the Balboa Yacht Club on June 17-21, 2015, in Governor Cup 21’s.”

Event website – Complete results – Video and Photos

Source: Dave Perry