Pauline Courtois and her Match in Pink Normandy team triumphed at the 2025 Casa Vela Match Racing Cup. The event took place in San Francisco Bay, hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club.
Courtois defeated USA's Nicole Breault and the Vela Racing team with a score of 3-1 in the final. Sweden's Team Wings, led by Anna Östling, took third place after beating Julia Aartsen's Team Out of the Box in the petit-final.
The final matched the skippers in a thrilling showdown. They exchanged victories in the first two races, evening the score at 1-1. The third race saw Courtois make strategic moves, leading her to the windward mark and scoring a pivotal 2-1.
In the deciding race, Courtois maintained control but faced a fierce challenge from Breault. Breault's spinnaker incident led to a penalty, complicating her comeback attempt.
Breault executed a daring manoeuvre to force a penalty on Courtois. This set the stage for a nail-biting sprint to the finish. Courtois crossed the line just seconds ahead, securing her victory.
“We are so happy with the win here in San Francisco,” said Courtois. “Nicole sailed a great match against us, but we are thrilled to have got the win here at the Casa Vela Cup!”
