Rose Cup: Balboa YC's Porter Killian takes an early lead

FORTH WORTH, TX – The first day of racing is underway at Eagle Mountain Lake, home of the esteemed Fort Worth Boat Club (of which your Ed. is a proud member), for the Rose Cup, emblematic of the 2017 U.S. Youth Match Racing Championship. The club's J/22's are being used by the 10 teams from around the USA. The championship continues through Sunday, and if there were not another match racing regatta of some repute going on in Bermuda this weekend I would be in Fort Worth covering this prestigious event first-hand.

However, one of SI's founding five is there, Chris Bretschger, along with our friends Father Greg Newman and Andy Rose (after whom the Rose Cup is named), and they have promised to keep us apprised. Also, our youngest SI contributor, Jeffrey Petersen (Newport Beach), is sailing in the Rose Cup with a Balboa YC team skippered by David Wood. So far they are struggling on a scoreline of 0-4, so Jeffery's report will be from an interesting perspective. Another BYC team skippered by Porter Killian, younger brother of the world-ranked match racer Christophe Killian (Newport Beach), has taken the early lead on a 3-0 scoreline, the only team to have won all their races. It's nearly 100ºF, but there is a cooling 9-knot breeze on the gorgeous lake that is about a 40-minute drive NW of downtown Fort Worth. More later. Details on the USSA event website here.

Photo from this morning courtesy of US SAILING. Results after the first few races on Friday....