This week, five days of hard sailing and strategic manoeuvring off the coast of Cape Town will decide the 2024 Lipton Challenge Cup winner, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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The Royal Cape Yacht Club is hosting the only interclub sailing competition of its kind in South Africa this year. The regatta is held annually.
The Lipton Challenge Cup was given in 1909 by Sir Thomas Lipton, a well-known businessman and five-time America’s Cup challenger, to the Table Bay Yacht Club, which later changed its name to the Royal Cape Yacht Club. The Lipton is celebrating its 70th edition this year.
The lengthy history of the Lipton is reminiscent of South Africa’s competitive sailing scene in many ways. These days, most South African sailors consider it to be their domestic trophy, and this year’s pool of competitors suggests that this perception is still valid.
William Crocket, a Lipton Cup trustee, told EWN that they were not concerned that the severe weather forecast for this week will have a significant impact on the event.
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Warnings were issued for unusually strong winds in Table Bay Harbour on Tuesday, but Crockett stated that the competition’s regulations needed a minimum of three races on three mandatory courses to be completed within the event’s five-day time frame.
This week’s tournament will see the defending champions Royal Cape Yacht Club rely on Team Nitro and captain Markus Progli.
The False Bay Yacht Club is one of the eight challengers, a team that has consistently challenged the Lipton Cup but has never won it.
This year, they are putting their trust in a Dehler 38-designed yacht dubbed Intasure Bonita, which will be co-skippered by Jason Mills and Bruce Neill, the boat’s owner.
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Picture: Supplied