Rose Cup-Date: Youth Match Racing

Rose Cup update from Dave Perry (June 22, 2013): Hello all…here’s an update on how the Rose Cup has been going so far. I have enjoyed getting to know and work with all the sailors here, and they have made a very good impression so far on the people here in Sheboygan, WI.

We had a great day and a half of clinic in perfect breeze and weather. Sally Barkow has been a tremendous coach, and all the sailors learned the specifics of sailing and racing the Elliotts quickly.

Yesterday (Friday) was exciting as we started with a postponement on land to wait out a major thunderstorm that went right overhead – literally! The kids then sailed out into 20 knots of breeze that quickly built to 30 knots and huge waves! They had some great rides and a couple even set their chutes, but it was just too much and in we came.

After a good discussion from Sally on sailing the Elliotts in heavy air, we went back out in about 10-15 knots and had four great races.

Today began sunnier, and the first start went off right on time, but then the wind immediately died to nothing. Then it switched 180 degrees and came in from the seabreeze direction, but unfortunately it brought in the fog as well. Pretty soon, you couldn’t see one end of the starting line from the other! The fog lifted a bit, and the race committee valiantly started a race, only to see the fog come back in, and the race abandoned. We brought them ashore for lunch and to wait for some breeze.

Finally, around 2:00, the fog lifted and the breeze arrived at around 8-10 knots, and we had four flights of some really great match racing.

We then moved right into the Semi-finals and Consolation series, which we had to shorten to a best of 3 for the Semi’s and a 2 race sudden-death knock-out series for the 5-8 positions.

The breeze lightened to around 5 knots for those series, and by the end the fog was back in, but not before we complete both the Semi’s and the Consolation series.

Though both Semi’s ended up 2-0, the racing was closer than the score suggests. Last year’s Rose Cup winner, Will Holz from the Chicago YC, with crew Clay Danly and Alex Woloshyn, beat Christophe Killian, Jack Martin and Harrison Vandervort from the Balboa Yacht Club. In the other Semi, Scott Buckstaff, Corey Lynch and Sammy Shea from the San Francisco Yacht Club defeated Ryan Davidson, Brendan Folkman and Gregg Kent from the Balboa Yacht Club.

In the Consolation Series, Harrison Hawk, Kyle Comerford and Liam Harr from the Annapolis Yacht Club came from behind to defeat Jack Thompson, Michael Sabourin and Charlie Welsh from the Newport Harbor Yacht Club in the race for 5th and 6th. And Charlie Lalumiere, Ben Garber and Carter Simard from Falmouth, ME defeated Matt Wordell, Matthew Coughlin and Ben Manning from Fairhaven, MA for 7th and 8th overall.

Tomorrow we sail the Finals and Petite-finals (both are best of 3), beginning at 10am, wind and weather permitting. The 12 sailors from the 5th through 8th place teams will ride with the umpires and coaches to see that perspective of the game.

I hope you all have had the chance to watch the video high-light reels Chris Love has created from yesterday and today’s racing. It is posted on the event website as well as on the event facebook page. Many of you have “Liked” the Rose Cup facebook page, which is very helpful. I encourage you all to visit that page. We have the video and candids, including the group shot of all the competitors and umpires, etc.

I will be updating the results tomorrow as well after each race. They too can be found on the event webpage, at http://www.sailsheboygan.org/Rose-Cup-2013.php

We continue to thank our sponsors Gill, Harken, Line Honors Outfitters, North U, North, Sail Seboygan and the Newport-Balboa Sailing & Seamanship Association for their generous support of the Rose Cup.

Dave Perry
Chairman
US Sailing Match Racing Committee