Australia’s Price undefeated at 15-0 as Youth Match Racing Worlds enter second round-robin

Not a soul will question the passion and devotion to the sport of sailing displayed by the Balboa Yacht Club.

Two years ago, Andy Rose and other members of the club put a plan in motion to host the Youth Match Racing World Championships.

It was not unlike the procedure to host the Olympic Games. A bid had to be placed, and certain requirements had to be met.

In 2002, the Balboa Yacht Club raised money to build a brand-new set of boats called the Governor’s Cup 21s. Although they were a nice addition to the club, as time went on, Rose recognized that they were falling behind the times.

So last year, as the club prepared to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Governor’s Cup, a new fleet was introduced – the Governor’s Cup 22s. The upgrade made the Balboa Yacht Club a suitable venue to hold the Youth Match Racing World Championships.

Early on in the regatta, the new boats were tested. Weather conditions would not cooperate, providing very little wind on Wednesday. It allowed for limited racing in the form of two flights on the second day of the event, but even that was a demonstration of the advancements in sailing technology.

“These boats are far superior to the 21s, especially in the conditions that we had yesterday,” Rose said. “They can actually race in four knots of breeze. The other boats would have struggled to have any kind of fair race in that condition.”

Rose said that the boats were financed primarily by Balboa Yacht Club members, along with help from non-member Governor’s Cup alumni. They had a little help from friends, too, including the commodore of the New York Yacht Club.

“Next year, we’ll be hosting the intercollegiate match racing national championship,” Rose added. “We’ll use the boats for that. They’re owned by a foundation called the Newport-Balboa Sailing and Seamanship Association.”

There was better wind compliance for the event on Thursday, which made the sailors happy that they could spend a full day on the water.

Perhaps the most-anticipated match of the day, and certainly the most consequential, came in the final flight of the first round-robin. Australia’s Harry Price and New Zealand’s George Anyon came into the race undefeated at 10-0, and it was Price’s boat that emerged victorious.

The No. 6 skipper in the world is sailing with a crew of Angus Williams and Tara Blanc-Ramos. Price finished as the runner-up in this event in 2016, and he is motivated by the possibility of redemption.

“Last year was a little bit of bummer,” Price said. “We did the same thing. We did well in the rounds, and then we sort of just gave it away in the final series.

“We’re looking forward to holding a good final series if we make it all the way through, if we get all the racing done. There’s no pressure. It’s just sailing. All fun.”

Four flights into the second round-robin, Price was still undefeated, making his team 15-0 for the tournament.

The Newport Harbor Yacht Club team of Charlie Welsh, John Horton, and Robert Garrett pulled out an exciting win over Denmark’s Felix Jacobsen. They trailed at the top marker, but they were able to out-handle their opponent down the stretch in a downwind sprint to the finish.

“We held him out and did our jibe,” Welsh said of the comeback. “Robert Garrett and John Horton did a spectacular jibe, where Robert took the pole off the spinnaker, brought the spinnaker down to the deck of the boat, and we stole all of their wind, while John kept it flying to secure a penalty.”

Welsh’s team ended the day with an 8-7 record, which is currently fifth overall.

Anyon is in second with a record of 13-2. Ettore Botticini of Italy and American Grenier Hobbs are tied for third overall with records of 10-5. Hobbs beat Botticini to forge the tie.

There are seven flights remaining in the second and final round-robin.

Andrew.Turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner