Allie Blecher has done it again. The American skipper and her crew aboard Team BAAM claimed the Santa Maria Cup for the second consecutive year, defeating Sweden’s Anna Östling in a tense final at Annapolis that went the full distance. Blecher, sailing with Beka Schiff, Katja Sertl and Ali Blumenthal Stokes, won 3-1 in a match that showcased exactly why the Women’s World Match Racing Tour remains the pinnacle of professional women’s sailing.
In match racing, one-on-one tactical battles decide everything. Blecher’s crew proved they had mastered those dynamics when it mattered most. After claiming the opening race when Östling found herself over the start line, Team BAAM appeared headed for a quick victory. Östling fought back to level at 1-1, but Blecher seized a crucial moment on the third race’s final upwind leg. A forced extra tack shifted the inside position at the mark, and the American skipper converted that advantage into a 2-1 lead.
The fourth race confirmed Blecher’s superiority. Despite carrying a penalty assessed during aggressive pre-start manoeuvring, Östling briefly took the lead downwind. As the boats approached the finish, the Swedish skipper attempted a desperate lunge that Blecher calmly avoided. Team BAAM crossed ahead to claim both the race and the title.
“It’s amazing to win this event again,” Blecher said afterwards. “We kept our heads in the game and just kept plugging away, even when we were behind. This is the first time our team has sailed together since last year, so it makes the win even more special.”
Blecher’s breakthrough came in 2025, and defending a major title immediately signals her team’s consistency at the highest level of women’s match racing. The Santa Maria Cup, hosted by the Eastport Yacht Club, draws the world’s leading female skippers. That field this year included New Zealand’s Megan Thomson and 2.0 Racing Team, who finished fifth overall.
Julia Aartsen of the Netherlands showed considerable promise in her debut at this event. Team Out of the Box reached the petit final after narrowly losing their semi-final to Östling, then defeated Martina Carlsson’s Beyond Racing Team 2-0 to claim third place. “We have loved being here in Annapolis this week,” Aartsen said. “It’s a fantastic venue, and the race organisation and hospitality have been world class. We’re very proud of our result and hope to be back again next year.”
The Santa Maria Cup forms the second stage of the 2026 Women’s World Match Racing Tour season. The championship now heads to Sweden for Stage 3, the Nordea Women’s Trophy, which runs from 29 June to 4 July in Marstrand. Few venues carry the match racing pedigree of Marstrand on Sweden’s west coast, where the world’s leading teams will resume their battle for the 2026 title.
