Balboa Yacht Club repeats as Rose Cup champ

Skipper Christophe Killian, a Corona del Mar High alumnus, along with Harrison Vandervort and Jack Martin completed a remarkable run Sunday to capture the U.S. Youth Match Racing Championship for the second straight year in Newport Beach.

Killian of the host team, Balboa Yacht Club, went 16-1 during the regatta, including 2-0 in the final series to beat San Diego Yacht Club’s Scott Sinks, Andy Reiter and Storm Brown, claiming the Rose Cup.

“It makes us pretty happy,” Killian said. “We can show that it wasn’t a fluke or any sort of that thing last year.”

Killian, Vandervort and Martin jumped in the water to celebrate after their win. It was special to do so well in a regatta hosted by BYC.

“That’s what mattered most, to be able to win it in front of all the people at BYC,” said Killian, who explained his team’s dominance during the regatta. “A lot of it was our experience in the boats. We handled them a lot better than most teams. We’ve been doing a lot of match racing.”

Killian went 10-1 in the Round Robin stage, only losing to his friend, skipper Jack Thompson of Newport Yacht Club, which also included Wells Drayton and Robert Garrett.

Killian and Thompson both sail for College of Charleston, where they are roommates. They also both competed for the CdM sailing team.

Thompson finished seventh in the Rose Cup.

Killian, Sinks and third-place finisher Christopher Weis of Del Rey Yacht Club earned invitations into the 49th annual Governor’s Cup, the international youth match racing regatta that is also hosted by BYC, July 20-25.

BYC has not won the Gov Cup since 1980.

“It’s not going to be easy,” Killian said. “It’s definitely harder [than the Rose Cup]. We know it’s going to be really hard, but we think we can do it.”

The Nick Scandone Sportsmanship Award was awarded to Colin Kennedy of Oakcliff Sailing Center (N.Y.) on Sunday.

With the win, Killian qualifies for the Oakcliff Sailing Halloween Invitational in Match 40s Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 in New York.

Racing started on Sunday at approximately 10:30 a.m. under sunny skies, 75 degrees, 8 to 10 knots and light chop later in the afternoon in the Pacific Ocean off Newport Beach.

— Compiled by Steve Virgen