Santa Maria Cup Announces First Nine Competing Teams for 2026
(Annapolis, Maryland – April 5, 2026) – The Santa Maria Cup Women’s International Match Race is proud to announce the first nine teams set to compete in this year’s international regatta, returning to Annapolis and hosted by Eastport Yacht Club on the Severn River. The Santa Maria Cup is a premier event on the women’s match racing calendar, bringing together elite sailors from around the world for head‑to‑head competition.
The confirmed teams represent six nations and a wide range of experience, from rising stars to past champions:
- Allie Blecher (USA) — World Rank 10
Blecher is the 2025 Santa Maria Cup champion, returning to defend her title.
- Anna Östling (SWE) — World Rank 2
Östling captured Santa Maria Cup victory in 2023 and remains one of the world’s top-ranked match racers.
- Julia Aartsen (NED) — World Rank 4
- Megan Thomson (NZL) — World Rank 5
- Martina Carlsson (SWE) — World Rank 7
- Caroline Bayless (USA) — World Rank 15
- Gwynie Dunlevy (USA) — World Rank 21
- Lijia Xu (CHN) — World Rank 33
Xu makes history as the first-ever competitor from China to race in the Santa Maria Cup.
- Kathleen Cornetta (USA) — World Rank 44
With past winners, first-time national representation, and some of the highest-ranked skippers in the world, the 2026 Santa Maria Cup field promises intense racing and compelling storylines. One additional team is expected to be announced in the coming days, rounding out the final lineup.
The Santa Maria Cup continues its long tradition as a showcase for world‑class women’s match racing, attracting international talent and passionate spectators to Annapolis each summer. Once again the Santa Maria Cup will be the second stop of the Women’s World Match Racing Tour (WWMRT). following the opening stop in Rungsted, Denmark. THE WWMRT will continue later this year with stops in Marstrand, Sweden; Hamilton, Bermuda; and Amaala, Saudi Arabia.
For event updates and additional information, visit www.santamariacup.org
For information on the Santa Maria Cup https://www.santamariacup.org
For information on WWMRT, visit womenswmrt.com
See the WWMRT website for more information:
https://womenswmrt.com/events/santa-maria-cup-2026/
About Santa Maria Cup
Santa Maria Cup is the second stop on the 2026 Women’s World Match Racing Tour. The 2026 regatta will be the 24th running of this event. Past competitors in this series include Olympic sailors, Rolex Yachtswomen of the Year, and other international stars of women’s sailing. Some of the American past winners are JJ Isler, Dawn Riley, Liz Baylis, Jody Swanson, Betsy Alison, Cory Sertl, Sally Barkow, and Anna Tunnicliffe. Originally a minor offshoot to the Columbus Cup professional match racing regatta series in Baltimore, Santa Maria Cup relocated to Annapolis in 1993 when Eastport Yacht Club (EYC) became the organizing authority.
About Women’s World Match Racing Tour
The Women’s World Match Racing Tour was launched in 2022 to continue the hugely successful legacy of the WIM Series (Women’s International Match Racing Series) providing a global match racing series for female sailors. The name of the WIM Series has been changed and re-launched as the Women’s World Match Racing Tour with it’s continued mission to expand and strengthen global match racing and promote opportunities for competitive women’s sailing at every level. The Women’s World Match Racing Tour is the world’s first and only professional sailing series for women providing a valuable pathway for aspiring female world champions in the sport of sailing. womenswmrt.com
