Swedish skipper wins women’s regatta in Annapolis
Long-respected event returns to area after an 11-year hiatus
For more than two decades the Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis was one of the most respected regattas on the international women’s match racing circuit.
Due largely to the changing landscape of women’s match racing, the competition dropped off the world tour following the 2011 edition. After an 11-year hiatus, the popular event returned to Annapolis and by all accounts was the rousing success it always had been previously.
Jeff and Sharon Borland returned as event chairs, while Sandy Grosvenor succeeded her late husband as principal race officer as Eastport Yacht Club hosted the 22nd Santa Maria Cup from Monday-Thursday on the Severn River.
This year’s regatta attracted 10 professional teams from six different countries and was the second stop on the 2023 Women’s World Match Racing Tour. Visit Annapolis and Anne Arundel County sponsored the event.
“Eastport Yacht Club and its entire membership were thrilled to bring back the Santa Maria Cup, which has always held a special place in our hearts and is such a big part of our history,” said Jeff Borland, who chaired the regatta along with his wife from 1995-2011. “With the revitalization of women’s match racing and a new tour starting this year, we thought the Santa Maria Cup could return as a signature event that could really bring the membership together.”
Borland was thrilled that conditions throughout the week enabled Grosvenor to set courses on the Severn River that were almost directly in front of the club.
“We were able to run everything right off the yacht club, which was cool,” he said. “You were able to stand on the docks and watch.”
Swedish skipper Marie Ostling and her Wings team captured the 22nd Santa Maria Cup women’s match racing regatta. Ostling swept New Zealand skipper Celia Willison and her Edge Women’s Match crew 3-0 on Thursday in the finals.
Anna Holmdahl White trimmed the main and called tactics for Ostling, who represented Sweden in women’s match racing at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Linnea Wennergren trimmed the headsails and Annika Carlunger worked the bow.
It was a rematch of the final of the Casa Vela Cup in San Francisco, which was the opening stop of the Women’s World Match Racing Tour. Wilson beat Ostling to capture that championship.
“This is one of the trickiest places we’ve ever sailed, so there was a lot of looking up the course to figure out what was coming,” Ostling said. “We were really focused with our eyes forward because the wind has been so shifty and very up and down. We were very cautious and made no rushed decisions.”
Ostling has been competing on the international women’s match racing circuit for 15 years and the crew has been fairly consistent throughout that time. Their collective confidence was high coming into the Santa Maria Cup after reaching the final in San Francisco.
“Our team is one of the more experienced on the circuit, and I think we showed that,” she said. “San Francisco was the first time we’d been racing since November, so there was some anxiety. I think we all felt much more relaxed this week.
“We stepped up big-time at this regatta and I’m really pleased with how we sailed.”
Ostling completed the double roundrobin qualifying stage with a 16-2 record, one better than American skipper Nicole Breault (15-3).
As winner of the round-robin, Ostling chose New Zealand skipper Megan Thomson (10-8) as her semifinal opponent. That initially looked like a strategic mistake as Thomson jumped out to a 2-0 lead Wednesday in the best-of-five series.
Unfazed, Ostling and the Wings team came back Thursday morning and won three straight to oust Thomson and move on to the finals. Meanwhile, Willison and the Edge team defeated Breault and her Vela Racing crew 3-1 in the other semifinal.
Ostling gave credit to her crew for the 3-0 shutout of Willison in the finals, which were held in five to six knots northwesterly winds.
“We played it well each day, no matter what type of conditions we got,” Ostling said. “I thought we sailed smart and did a great job in prestarts, which are so important in match racing.
“It was tough for Anna doing tactics because of the shifts. Annika worked really hard on the bow to look up the course and see what the wind was doing. We had real good communication onboard throughout the regatta.”
Holmdahl-White and Carlunger had plenty of previous experience with the Santa Maria Cup, having competed many times and captured two championships while crewing for skipper Marie Bjorling.
“I’ve been hearing about the Santa Maria Cup for years from Anna and Annika,” Ostling said. “It was so much fun to finally get here and see what it was all about. I thought the event lived up to its reputation. I was super happy to finally come to Annapolis and compete in the Santa Maria Cup.”
The competition was held aboard identical J/22 sloops owned by Eastport Yacht Club and Annapolis Yacht Club, with teams rotating boats throughout. Conditions were solid throughout the week, with Wednesday delivering 16 to 18 knot winds with gusts into the 20s.
Grosvenor and her on-water team kept the action fast-paced while constantly resetting marks to ensure the course was square and fair. Grosvenor filled the PRO role previously held for 21 years by her late husband Mark Murphy.
Annapolis resident Janel Zarkowsky skippered an entry in the regatta and compiled a 7-11 record. Zarkowsky grew up in Sherwood Forest, competed collegiately at Boston University and is currently an assistant coach with the Georgetown sailing team.