Killian undefeated on first day of Rose Cup

Christophe Killian isn’t messing around. The skipper, a Corona del Mar High alumnus, and his Balboa Yacht Club team are using their home waters to their advantage at the U.S. Youth Match Racing Championship, also known as the Rose Cup.

Killian, Harrison Vandervort and Jake Martin, the Rose Cup defending champions, went undefeated during the first day, winning eight races in the Pacific Ocean off Newport Beach.

Three teams have six wins and two losses. Those teams are led by Jack Parkin from Riverside Yacht Club in Connecticut, Scott Sinks from San Diego Yacht Club and Christopher Weils from Del Rey Yacht Club.

Skipper Jack Thompson, along with Wells Drayton and Robert Garrett, of Newport Harbor Yacht Club, won three races.

The 12 teams in the regatta completed eight of the 11 flights in the Stage 1 Round Robin. The US Sailing National Championship runs through Sunday.

The start of racing on Friday was postponed for about an hour due to insufficient wind. Teams raced in light breezes ranging between 4 and 6 knots early in the afternoon. Winds picked up to approximately 8 to 10 knots later in the afternoon. Mostly sunny skies and late afternoon cloud coverage with diminished winds closed out the day.

Each of the 12 teams consists of three or four members, all under 21 years of age. Some are familiar with the Governor’s Cup 21 boats that are used in this regatta. Others are new to the event and the boats.

The top three skippers will receive an automatic invitation to the 49th Annual Governor’s Cup International Youth Match Racing Event to be held at Balboa Yacht Club July 20-25.

— From staff reports