SAN FRANCISCO — The 2025 Women’s World Match Racing Tour kicked off its six-stop international season with the Casa Vela Cup, hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco from May 28 to 31. Ten elite teams from four nations competed in the opening regatta, including top-ranked sailors from the United States and Europe.
Returning to her home waters was four-time U.S. Women’s Match Racing Champion Nicole Breault, who skippered a newly formed crew of Molly O’Bryan Vandemoer, McKenzie Wilson, and Hailey Thompson. With the Cup returning to San Francisco, Breault expressed enthusiasm for both the location and the level of talent entering the race.
“I really respected the level of competition they brought while keeping such a positive vibe,” said Breault. “I made some good friends over the years racing these events, and we were excited for the return of the Casa Vela Cup.”
Breault’s team was selected with chemistry and continuity in mind. “I cast a net out to sailors with the right skills and size, but also the ability to do as much of the racing this year as possible,” she said. “I wanted to build a team for the Tour with good chemistry and consistency.”
Among Breault’s chief rivals was Allie Blecher of Los Angeles, the reigning U.S. Women’s Match Racing Champion and a four-time titleholder. Blecher had recently served as Breault’s tactician in the Congressional Cup, but the two friends squared off as competitors in San Francisco.
“We loved racing together and against each other,” said Breault. “Her team was strong with lots of ambition.”
Blecher competed with longtime teammate Beka Schiff, along with Alana Marks and Martha Parker. The core of her crew shared a bond that extended beyond the racecourse.
“Beka and I sailed together for ten years,” Blecher said. “Alana and I teamed up on and off over the past decade — three of us went to the College of Charleston, so there was a lot of history.”
Blecher viewed the Casa Vela Cup as a valuable stepping stone. “I wasn’t setting any expectations,” she said. “We were out there to use it as practice with our sights on the Worlds later in the year.”
The regatta was sailed in J/22s, a nimble keelboat well suited for tight, head-to-head match racing on the often breezy San Francisco Bay. The Casa Vela Cup marked the first of three U.S.-based events in the 2025 Women’s World Match Racing Tour, which also included the Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis, Maryland (June 4 through 7), and the Women’s Match Racing World Championship in Chicago, Illinois (September 17 through 20).
Two European stages rounded out the summer season: the Normandy Match Cup in Le Havre, France (June 6 through 9), and the Nordea Women’s Trophy in Marstrand, Sweden (June 30 through July 5). The season was scheduled to conclude in Bermuda with the Bermuda Women’s Match Race in Hamilton (October 21 through 26).
Breault, who had long served as both advocate and competitor in women’s match racing, saw the Tour as more than just a personal pursuit.
“It was really fun to be part of the whole process and especially to advocate for the newer sailors to get into the game,” she said. “I always wore two hats — one helping other sailors reach their goals, maybe coaching or crewing for them, while also wearing the hat of a competitor. There’s a switch that flips in me when I’m racing and you see the competitive part of me just come out.”
The Women’s World Match Racing Tour, now in its third year, continued the legacy of the Women’s International Match Racing Series (WIM Series), which helped elevate the global profile of match racing for women. As the world’s first and only professional sailing series dedicated to women, the Tour aimed to expand competitive opportunities and develop future world champions.
The 2025 season featured top international skippers Pauline Courtois and Kenza Coutard of France, Anna Östling of Sweden, and Julia Aartsen of the Netherlands — all ranked in the world’s top six. Their participation underscored the strength of the global field and reinforced the Tour’s mission to grow and strengthen women’s match racing worldwide.
For additional information and full results, visit womenswmrt.com.
