USA's Sally Barkow Takes 2007 BoatUS Santa Maria Cup

The US Team Of Sally Barkow Came Out On Top

In Spite Of A Late Wakeup Call By The Strong French Team Of Claire Leroy

June 2, 2007 - Annapolis, MD - After Friday's final round robin series that ended with Sally Barkow (USA) leading by 17-1 against Leroy (FR), who had come roaring back to a perfect day but still down at 15-3, Saturday's semis were a USA vs. France event.  Liz Baylis ended up third going in with a 13-5 score against Christelle Philippe (FR) in fourth place with 11-7 going into the final four.

Barkow had an outstanding performance going into the round robin portion of the competition with 17 wins to only 1 loss, but that was against Leroy, who had posted a perfect score with an exciting last-minute spinnaker douse to a 360 penalty turn at the last finish ahead of Barkow.  Then in the first race of the semi-finals, sailed at the end of Friday's matches, Philippe beat Barkow in a fading breeze to make them rethink their performance and tactics for the final day of racing.  “We definitely got a little slack toward the end of Friday.  It was a long day on the water and we were happy about winning the round robin and I think we let up a little,” Barkow said. The loss to Philippe definitely shook us up and made us realize that there still was work to be done.”

Saturday, Barkow's team came out gunning and nailed their semis best-of-three with a score of 3 to 1 over Philippe and went against Leroy, who had beaten Baylis to qualify in the finals 3-1 also.  In the finals, Barkow came out on top 3-1 again and cinched the win and join the ranks of Dawn Riley and Marie Bjorling as the only three to have won the BoatU.S. Santa Maria Cup twice.

The final results for the event had Sally Barkow (USA) 1st , Claire Leroy (FR) second 2nd, Liz Baylis (USA) 3rd , Christelle Philippe (FR) 4th , Nicky Souter (AUS) 5th , Katy Lovell (USA) 6th , Katie Spithill (AUS) 7th, Jo Ann Fisher (USA) 8th, Lorenza Mariani (IT)  9th and Liz Hjorth 10th. All of the competitors deserve recognition for putting on another fantastic competition and for pushing each other to excel in the fast-paced sport of match racing.  The starts and finishes were always close, sometimes only seconds apart. Those who did not finish on top, made the leaders work harder for their wins and will be back next time to make their own podium stand next year.
 

The racing conditions were perfect each day and spectators and competitors alike enjoyed a great competition.  The predicted last day thunderstorms held off until after the races were done and competitors were back on shore for the awards ceremony.  The army of volunteers from the hosting Eastport Yacht Club, Annapolis, MD put on another fantastic BoatUS Santa Maria Cup event.  With the dedication of these experienced race committee people, visiting judges, umpires and all the support staff, BoatUS and other sponsors, the event continues to be a premier international competition.

A recap of the final results of the round robin, semi finals and the finals, plus photos and commentary can be found on the BoatUS Santa Maria Cup Web site at SantaMariaCup.org.

Top Women Sailors To Duel For BoatUS Santa Maria Cup

May 30 - June 2, 2007

New This Year: Live Commentary on VHF Radio Channel 78

World-class match racing comes to Annapolis' doorstep May 30 – June 2 when 10 of the top women match racers are scheduled to compete in the BoatUS Santa Maria Cup.   And new this year, spectators will be able to tune their VHF radios to channel 78 for live commentary on the races as they happen.

Hosted by Eastport Yacht Club and sponsored by Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), the confirmed fleet of ten teams led by notable skippers includes the number one women's match racer in the world, Claire Leroy of France. Additional competitors include Australia's Katie Spithill (ranked #6) and Nicky Souter (ranked #14); Great Britain's Josie Gibson (ranked #8); Christelle Phillipe of France (#10); and Italy's Lorenza Mariani (ranked #25).

Americans Sally Barkow (ranked #22), Katy Pyle-Lovell (ranked #24), Elizabeth Baylis (ranked #25) and recent Sundance winner Liz Hjorth (ranked #51) will be defending home “turf.”

Each skipper leads a hand picked crew of three. Over the course of three days, a series of round-robin heats will determine who goes to the finals on Saturday, June 2.  

Unlike sailing races where big budgets and expensive hi-tech boats can have an advantage, these match racers will take to the Chesapeake Bay course in identical J-22 (22-foot) sailboats. For more information go to www.SantaMariaCup.org and the 2007 Competitors Fact Sheet.

2007 BoatUS Santa Maria Cup Results

Australia's Katie Spithill Wins 2006 BoatUS Santa Maria Cup

Katie Spithill of Sydney, Australia is the champion of the 16th annual BoatUS Santa Maria Cup Women's Match Racing Championship, hosted by Eastport Yacht Club. The Grade 1 event was held in Annapolis, MD, May 31 – June 3. Traditional light winds delayed racing Thursday afternoon and Friday, but Saturday’s high winds made the competition exciting.

The semi-finals were shortened to first to win two points. Giulia Conti, World Rank 31 (ITA) and Katie Spithill, World Rank 12 (AUS) advanced to the finals with Liz Baylis, 2003 Cup winner, World Rank 39 (USA) and Christelle Philippe, World Rank 8 (FRA) in the petit-finals. Baylis won the petit-finals giving her third place overall.

The final races on Saturday were to be determined by the first team to win three races and were full of suspense. Winds ranged from 14-20 knots, gusting to 25, challenging the skills of all racers and umpires. The first two races were very close with Spithill in the lead. Conti took the next two, requiring a fifth race to decide the winner. Race 5 score was thrown out due to a committee boat breakdown causing contact with Conti. In the re-match race 6, Spithill defeated Conti, making a remarkable recovery, even after serving a penalty turn.

Katie Spithill, age 24, is only the fourth non-American to win the title. Spithill’s winning crew included Stacey Jackson (main and tactics), Angela Farrell (jib), and Nina Curtis (bow).

The 2007 Race dates are May 29 - June 2, 2007.
Photos and full race results can be found at www.SantaMariaCup.org  

2006 BoatUS Santa Maria Cup Final Results:

Final
Katie Spithill (AUS) D. Giulia Conti (ITA), 3-2

Petit-Final
Liz Baylis (USA) D. Christelle Philippe (FRA), 2-1

Semi-Finals
Katie Spithill (AUS) D. Liz Baylis (USA), 2-0
Giulia Conti (ITA) D. Christelle Philippe (FRA), 2-0

Round Robin Standings
1. Liz Baylis (USA), 11-3
2. Christelle Philippe (FRA), 10-4
3. Giulia Conti (ITA), 9-5
4. Katie Spithill (AUS), 9-5
5. Katy Pilley-Lovell (USA), 9-5
6. Carol Cronin (USA), 7-7
7. Deb Capozzi (USA), 6-8
8. Jo Ann Fisher (USA), 5-9
9. Lorenza Mariani (ITA), 3-11
10. Jen Provan (CAN), 1-13

2006 Event Announcement

Sweden's Marie Bjorling Wins 2005 BoatUS Santa Maria Cup

Swedish skipper Marie Bjorling was declared champion of the 15th annual BoatUS Santa Maria Cup women's match racing regatta, hosted by Eastport Yacht Club, after dying winds on Saturday forced the cancellation of both the semifinals and final races. The final results of the Grade 1 event sailing in Annapolis, MD, June 1-4 were based on the best records compiled during the double round-robin series of the regatta with each team racing 18 races over three days.

Bjorling finished first in the round-robin series with an overall record of 15-4, winning a tie-breaker with French skipper Claire Leroy, ranked number one entering the regatta. Third place went to Paula Lewin of Bermuda (13-5), and fourth place to Newport, RI's, Betsy Alison (12-6). Alison and her team had come on strong at the end, winning eight of nine races in the second round-robin.

"It is kind of a strange way to win a regatta," Bjorling said. "We knew it was possible the regatta might get cut short, which is why we wanted to do so well in the round-robin."

After two semifinal races were held in dying breezes Saturday, Bjorling and Alison were tied 2-2 while Lewin and Leroy were also tied 2-2. Principal race officer Mark Murphy tried hard to start the decisive fifth race for both semis, but the wind faded. "We were at absolute rock-bottom, marginal conditions for racing and then things got worse," Murphy said. "It's disappointing, but I am confident we did everything the proper way." Because the semifinals were not able to be completed, the final results were based only on the round-robin series.

Bjorling won the BoatUS Santa Maria Cup in 2002 and had been ranked No. 1 in the International Sailing Federation world match race rankings for two years before slipping to second a few weeks ago. Bjorling took more than a year off to have a baby; Leroy moved into the top spot. Alison has won the regatta twice, in 1997 and 2000. Lewin was champion in 1998. Last year's winner, Sally Barkow, placed fifth this year.

"We really wanted to win this regatta, partly because of the ranking, but mostly because it was such a strong field," Bjorling said. "Our performance here gives the team a boost of self confidence for the rest of the season,” Bjorling told local papers. Bjorling's winning crew included Anna Holmdahl who trimmed the main and called tactics, Elisabeth Nilsson (jib), and Annika Carlunger (bow).

Photos by Walter Cooper

BoatUS Santa Maria Cup Final Scores

1, Marie Bjorling, Sweden, 15-4
2, Claire Leroy, France, 14-5
3, Paula Lewin, Bermuda, 13-5
4, Betsy Alison, United States, 12-6
5, Sally Barkow, United States, 10-8