Celia Willison and the Edge Women’s Match Team from New Zealand secured a hard-fought victory at the inaugural all-women Casa Vela Cup hosted by the St Francis YC.
Willison and team defeated Sweden’s Anna Östling and the Wings Team 3-1 in the final at the St Francis YC in San Francisco.
The Edge Women’s Match Team of Celia Willison, Alison Kent, Charlotte Porter and Serena Woodall had a tough route to the final after first having to defeat close friends and fellow Kiwis Megan Thomson/2.0 Racing Team in the semi-finals.
In the other semi-final, the Swedish Wings Team come-from-behind victory against local favourite Nicole Breault/Vela Racing out of contention for the Casa Vela Cup title as the Swedes secured a 3-2 win.
In the Final, the Swedish team was quick out of the blocks and led the first race wire-to-wire to a 1-0 start.
Looking confident in race 2, Willison found better pressure to force Östling into a downwind broach just before the finish, to even the score at 1-1.
In Race 3, there was a fierce tacking battle and penalties aplenty. But it was Willison and crew that held their calm and won the day clinching a 3-1 victory over the Swedish team.
The Casa Vela Cup was the opening stage of the 2023 Women’s World Match Racing Tour.
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