Katie Spithill of Sydney, Australia is the champion of the 16th annual BoatU.S. 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).

Photos and full race results can be found at http://www.SantaMariaCup.org  

2006 BoatU.S. 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