Skunked at Youth Match Racing Worlds

Published on August 12th, 2021

Newport Beach, CA (August 12, 2021) – Hot and humid weather offered no wind for racing today at the 2021 Youth Match Racing World Championship. Two flights remain in the second round robin to advance the top team to the semi-finals, with the other eight teams to race a third repechage round robin from which top three teams will advance to the semi-finals. Local Jeffrey Petersen (USA) leads at 13-1 with Emil Kjaer (DEN) next at 11-3.

Racing is in Gov Cup 22 class sloops on August 10-14. – Details

Report from event:
Rarely is it a good idea, when writing about a sailing event, to discuss the weather in the first paragraph. The “lead” should be about the sailors: who is leading what event, and why.

Today, however, at the Youth Match Racing World Championship, hosted by Balboa Yacht Club in Newport Beach, CA, the weather is indeed the story. After two days where sixteen “flights” of matches were completed, today’s total was zero.

The Race Committee left the dock on schedule and planned a first attention signal at 1100 Hours Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7). Instead, they displayed the “AP” flag signaling postponement. Five hours later, with little to no breeze all day, the signal was given to return to the BYC dock in Newport Harbor.

The leaderboard remains as it was yesterday. Jeffrey Petersen (USA, Balboa YC) leads the round robin stage with thirteen points, two points ahead of Denmark’s Emil Kjaer (DEN, Royal Danish YC) with eleven.

In third is Riccardo Sepe (ITA, FIV), and fourth is David Wood (USA, Balboa Yacht Club) with nine and eight points, respectively.

Depending on tomorrow’s forecast, regatta officials will determine, and likely adjust, the schedule of remaining races in the round robin stage so that the Semi-finals can begin tomorrow afternoon. The Finals will take place Saturday, August 14.