Yutes: Your Majesty, sometimes there is a second

CORONA DEL MAR, CA – Whoever said, "Your Majesty, there is no second” was wrong, at least in the case of our team that raced in the United States Match Race Championship Qualifier at Long Beach Yacht Club August 12-13. Our team known as "Cricket Racing" (LOL, you can ask the Ed. who gave me that nickname and why) of Max Moosmann, Eric Berzins, Chris Bretschger, Max Brennan and Tyler Wolk tied for first with Chris Nesbitt's team from San Diego Yacht Club, but we lost the tie breaker in a hard fought final match.

However, it turned out that Chris and his team would be unable to attend the USMRC Finals for the Prince of Wales Bowl due to a prior commitment. That meant there was a spot in the Championship event up for grabs, subject to the decision of the US SAILING powers that be.

After awarding our team the 2nd Place medals, the US Match Racing Committee encouraged us to submit an application for the Finals for the open spot. Waiting for the decision was the longest two weeks of my life. Finally, we got the good news – a formal invitation to the POW Finals. Needless to say I was thrilled to be given this opportunity to race at this level, especially at age 15.

That night was the Thursday night Beer Can race at Balboa Yacht Club. I told my team the great news and all said they thought they could make it. My team sailed me out of some difficult situations at the qualifier, and without such a good crew I am sure we would not have earned this invitation nor have any chance to do well at the Finals.

So, sometimes it can be good to finish second. Cricket Racing will be competing at Oakcliff Sailing Center in Oyster Bay, NY this coming weekend, October 12-15. I am pleased to report that a "rockstar" sailor will be joining us, BYC's Christophe Killian. This summer he won the 51st Governor’s Cup, the prestigious international youth match racing championship hosted annually by BYC, my home club.

Christophe has a lot of experience in the Swedish Match 40’s that we will be racing this weekend at Oakcliff. Despite having to miss my first Mater Dei High School travel regatta of the year, the Sea Otter Regatta at Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club, I am very excited to be racing in the POW Finals.

We will do our best to learn a lot, do our very best on and off the race course, to represent our yacht club in a proper manner, and not to be intimidated by the older and more experienced match racers we will encounter there. Thank you, US SAILING, for this opportunity!

And I promised the Ed. that I will write an article for SI after the event about our experience and what we learned.

Cricket Racing, skippered by 15-year-old Jeffrey Petersen (Balboa YC, fourth from left), after finishing second in the SoCal qualifier for the US Match Racing Championship in August. They will compete this weekend in the Finals for the Prince of Wales Bowl at Oakcliff Sailing Center on Long Island Sound.