In the last week of June, fellow SDYC member Jack Plavan, and MBYC members Diego Escobar and Marianna Shand, and I took a trip across the country to Rochester, New York, to compete for the U.S. Youth Match Racing Championship, known as the Rose Cup. None of us had ever been to Rochester and we were excited to compete in our first U.S. Sailing Championship since the pandemic.
The schedule for the event includes two days of clinic, taught by the infamous Dave Perry, and then three days of racing. With each of these days being 8 am - 9 pm, it is a regatta which tests the mental and physical fortitude of the sailors. On top of that, strong wind was in the forecast for a large part of the event.
The competition was strong with two teams having already qualified for Governor’s Cup and Youth Match Racing Worlds, along with teams compiled of other sailors who have had success in dinghies and keelboats. That being said, we were cautiously confident, knowing we had a boat full of sailors accomplished in many facets of sailing.
We started off the regatta better then we could ever hope for, going undefeated in the double round robin. Unfortunately, due to the format, all those wins were essentially erased, since the round robins only served for seeding. The quarters and the semis were first to three wins, which we also went undefeated in, putting our total record to 20-0. Also, due to the other teams which progressed to the semifinals, our series win in the semifinals guaranteed our invitation to the Governor’s Cup, one of the premier youth match race events in the world. By the time the finals rolled around, the wind had built to 20+ knots, but was still fluctuating 30+ degrees in very short time intervals. Matched up against one of the aforementioned teams which had qualified for youth match racing worlds, we knew we had our work cut out. Each race sailed was hard fought, with one having to be re-sailed due to a redress, and with multiple lead changes in every race. Unfortunately, we came up short and finished second overall.
With that being said, I am extremely proud of my team for finishing the regatta with a 21-3 record, and earning a spot at Gov Cup, which will be sailed in Newport Beach at the end of July. I would like to take this time to thank the SDYC Competition Fund for their support in helping us compete in the event, and to U.S Sailing and the Rochester Yacht Club for putting on a great event.