Fantastic start to prestigious Lipton Cup
THE Lipton Cup Challenge, which got under way on Sunday, saw some brilliant sailing action on a beautiful day in Cape Town.
Eleven teams from different yacht clubs sailed out to sea, eager for the start of the first of a maximum of six days of racing.
The course was laid out in the shape of a rectangle – one of three course designs that have to be sailed during the Lipton Cup Challenge (rectangle, triangle and sausage).
Southern Charter UCT had a fantastic start and took an early lead. Just before rounding the first mark, however, defending champions Royal Cape Yacht Club (RCYC), co-sponsored by RaceAhead, managed to overtake the UCT youngsters.
Headed by “dream tea” Roger Hudson and Asenathi Jim, RCYC managed to lead comfortably after the second lap around the rectangle, steadily followed by UCT.
Hout Bay Yacht Club (HBYC) on “LTC Phoenix” and False Bay Yacht Club on “Ziptrak Kayo” entertained their spectators with an exciting race for third position throughout the day, with HBYC finally taking third place. UCT finished second and RCYC first.
After an eventful first day of racing in relatively mild weather conditions, sailors as well as spectators are excited to see what the rest of the week will hold. An approaching cold front is sure to add some spice to the on-water action, before the final winner will be decided on Friday, August 25.
Eleven young teams from various backgrounds are competing for the country’s most valuable sporting trophy in this unique national inter-club sailing challenge.
Every winter, yacht clubs from all over South Africa, as well as from the Namibian and Mozambican coasts, are invited to enter one team in the legendary Lipton Cup Challenge.
The Challenge, which was initiated by the famous tea merchant Sir Thomas Lipton in 1909, will see 11 yachts of the model L26 sail out of the protected waters of Table Bay Harbour for six days in a row.
Royal Cape Yacht Club, acting as defending champions and host club, and skippered by Roger Hudson, will have to face 10 visiting clubs’ endeavours to earn enough points to topple their three-year reign.
The challenging clubs and skippers are Langebaan Yacht Club (skipper: Alec Webb), UCT Yacht Club (Alex Burger), Defence Force Yacht Club (Alex Strauss), Theewaters Sports Club (Mike Brown), False Bay Yacht Club (Daniel Lawrence), Zeekoevlei Yacht Club (Heidi Burger), Imperial Yacht Club (Lorenzo Yon), Hout Bay Yacht Club (Theo Yon), Milnerton Aquatic Club (Iliana Boura) and Lake Deneys Yacht Club (Richard Wiederhold).
Although the race is highly competitive – resulting in fantastic rivalry and a suspenseful atmosphere on and off the water – the message is one of fairness and unity.
Every L26 yacht is checked and weighed according to strict rules, and every team can only weigh 420kg in total. The result is a true effort to eliminate bias and measure only sailing skill, something which every crew member will need to rely on during the following days of racing in the temperamental Cape seas. This event is not just an average sailing race – it presents some exquisitely beautiful moments every year.