LIPTON CUP NEWS

By Karina Sandhu, 

San Diego, CA (October 25, 2025) – After an exciting weekend of tight racing in quintessential San Diego weather, the 110th Challenge for the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup concluded on Sunday, October 26. The prestigious, invitational-only regatta brought together 12 highly competitive yacht club teams from across the United States and Mexico including Club de Yates de Acapulco, Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, American Yacht Club, Balboa Yacht Club, Bayview Yacht Club, California Yacht Club, Coronado Yacht Club, Long Beach Yacht Club, New York Yacht Club, Newport Harbor Yacht Club, San Diego Yacht Club, and San Francisco Yacht Club. Regatta Chair, Dave Vieregg, stated “We had an incredible collection of highly skilled teams racing in the 2025 Lipton Cup. It was an honor to host them at SDYC and watch the competition. The Challenge for the Lipton Cup is Southern California racing at its finest.”

The 110th Lipton Cup returned to San Diego’s South Bay for 4 more races in the 12 race series, featuring more sparkling San Diego weather. PRO Bruce Golison shared his thoughts on today’s conditions and competition. “We postponed for 30 minutes due to light and variable winds. A southwest breeze finally filled in at 7-8 kts and we got the first race of the day off just after noon.

Friday October 24th kicked off the 2025 Challenge for the Lipton Cup with 12 yacht clubs bringing their competitive teams to race in South San Diego Bay in a fleet of J/105s. Each team will race once in each of the 12 J/105s borrowed from SDYC members, that have been well prepared by volunteers over the last few weeks. After the morning skippers meeting and transit across the bay and under the Coronado bridge, the stage was set for the first 5 of 12 scheduled races to take place Friday through Sunday.

The 110th Challenge for the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup returns to San Diego Yacht Club October 24 - 26. Named after legendary yachtsman and tea baron Sir Thomas Lipton, the Lipton Cup is one of the most highly anticipated regattas of the season and one of the most highly coveted trophies in Southern California.

The one design race weekend features J/105s, which are loaned to the event by individual SDYC members, bring twelve teams from across the United States and Mexico together to compete in a round-robin format. In addition to racing the same model of boat, each team is required to rotate between each individual boat, sailing each one once over the course of three days to keep every aspect of the regatta even.

SDYC has arranged discounted rate hotel rooms for the Lipton Cup Regatta at The Bay Club Hotel & Marina.

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The hotel is walking distance from SDYC. Discounts available Thursday October 23 - Sunday October 26, 2025. Discount available through September 23, 2025. The discounted rate is $219/night.

San Diego Yacht Club has won the 2024 Sir Thomas Lipton Cup Challenge for the fourth consecutive year. SDYC’s Jake La Dow's strong start established an early lead, leaving New York Yacht Club and Newport Harbor Yacht Club vying for the top spot over the next two days—but ultimately to no avail, as SDYC held onto first place.

Day 2 of the Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup brought exciting shifts in the leaderboard as teams battled through races 6-9. San Diego Yacht Club's skipper Jake La Dow continued his impressive performance, holding onto the top position with a near-flawless series. New York Yacht Club’s with skipper Pete Levesque surged forward, securing several top five finishes that boosted their ranking, narrowing the gap to San Diego.

The 109th Challenge for the Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup, San Diego Yacht Club’s signature fall regatta, kicked off today. Named for the historic yachtsman and tea baron, Sir Thomas Lipton, the Lipton Cup allows yacht club teams to face off to determine who is the best of the best. It is the most prestigious trophy contested in Southern California and one of the most coveted on the West Coast since 1903.

San Diego Yacht Club has won the 108th Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup! The defending champs were determined to hold tight to the cup and they did just that in final moments of the regatta. Marking the sixth win for skipper Tyler Sinks and his crew including Adam Roberts, Jake La Dow, Brad Rodi, Lucy Wallace, Max Hutcheson, and Nick Kaschak.

Heading into the final day of racing Newport Harbor Yacht Club led by a narrow three point lead. Both SDYC and NHYC knew that all eyes were on them and they had moments of the day that felt like they were matchracing each other, not the rest of the fleet. And rightly so, after all, over the past nine years the Lipton Cup has traded hands between these two clubs four times. Their competitive rivalry at this event is unrivaled.

As day two of the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup Challenge commenced, everyone was hopeful that today would be their day. With two thirds of the regatta left to sail, teams planned their attack to move up the board. However, it was Newport Harbor Yacht Club (NHYC) that had laser focus on what continues to be the most critical component this regatta... consistency.

With four consecutive second place finishes, NHYC dominated the day. Throughout the rest of the fleet we saw highs and lows from nearly every crew. There are no small mistakes at Lipton Cup because in a fleet this competitive an OCS, prematurely extending the bowsprit or accidentally kissing the mark can dash your hope of winning. Minimizing the number of mistakes was certainly the name of the game and no one did it better than NHYC today.

The San Diego Yacht Club welcomed twelve distinguished teams from around the country to compete in J/105's, in a rotating format, as they vie for the 108th Sir Thomas Lipton Cup. In picturesque Fall Southern California conditions, competitors enjoyed sunny skies and steady breeze. Seventy eight accomplished sailors embarked on a three day pursuit of arguably the most coveted trophy on the West Coast.

The Lipton Cup is about precision and a steadfast commitment to delivering your best in every race. With no throw out to rely on, you can't afford a bad race or even a bad start. The talent is deep and there will always be a team hot on your heels, looking to capitalize on your mistakes.

The 108th Challenge for the Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup, San Diego Yacht Club’s signature fall regatta, returns October 27-29, 2023. Named for the historic yachtsman and tea baron, Sir Thomas Lipton, the Lipton Cup allows yacht club teams to face off to determine who is the best of the best. It is the most prestigious trophy contested in Southern California and one of the most coveted on the West Coast since 1903.

The 2023 Lipton Cup invites twelve yacht club’s around the world to send Corinthian teams to compete for the coveted Lipton Cup trophy in rotating J/105s on San Diego Bay. Find all the links to follow the action online via the website, photos, video, social media and more.

It’s official - San Diego Yacht Club is the winner of the 2022 Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup! The home team has done it again.

It all came down the battle of the coasts in the final day of the Lipton Cup. After 10 highly competitive and close races, San Diego Yacht Club and New York Yacht Club got off the starting line one more time with determination to prove which coast is in fact…the best.

In the spirit of Halloween weekend…San Diego Yacht Club cast their web across the Lipton Cup fleet. While some teams got tricks, others earned treats…and among them was Team SDYC.

After day one of the 2022 Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup, it’s clear this weekend is going to see three days of extremely tight racing. All eleven yacht club skippers and their crews sailed within moments of each other for all five of today’s races, however, there are a few key players in the fleet that earned themselves a spot on tomorrow’s hit list amongst the competitors. New York Yacht Club in particular seemed to have traveled the 2,500 miles just to show the Southern California teams who the competition is. Besides NYYC, SoCal teams are dominating the leaderboard going into day two.

There’s something special about San Diego Yacht Club’s Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup. Some may claim it’s the competition - the best sailing teams that yacht clubs all over the country put together. Others claim it’s the one-design format - each team rotates between the fleet of eleven equalized J/105s after each race, giving each team a fair chance in every boat. Competitors might anticipate thriving post-race socials after a tough day on the water, and locals might boast about their quality San Diego Bay venue and top-notch race management. The truth of the matter is that each one of these aspects makes the Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup, better known as the Lipton Cup, a highly sought-after trophy around the country.

The 2021 Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup is once again in the hands of the home team! San Diego Yacht Club came out this weekend determined to repeat history and get the Cup back in their name. After sailing only nine of twelve planned races due to light winds in South San Diego Bay, SDYC finished with 4 bullets, 4 seconds, and a fifth. The battle was won today after Race 8 when the team finished first, giving them a 23 point lead over their competitors with only one race left to sail.

Sailing is a sport that requires a whole lot of patience. As good a sailor as you may be or as experienced as you are, there’s nothing you can do about Mother Nature on the racecourse. San Diego is well-known for being a venue with moderate wind. As frustrating as light wind can be (like today), it takes a truly skilled sailor to navigate in those conditions.

Some teams come out for the competition, and some teams are the competition. The San Diego Yacht Club team came for the Cup, which is no surprise considering the team’s history with the Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup. Skipper Tyler Sinks alone has won three of the past five Lipton Cups for San Diego Yacht Club and isn’t letting up after a year off. 

The battle is back on for the coveted Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup trophy. Twelve yacht club teams from all around the country come to San Diego Yacht Club on October 28-30, 2021 to participate in a highly competitive series while rotating through a matched fleet of J/105s. From New York to Chicago to California, each team always arrives ready to put up a fight in San Diego Bay.

The trophy, which remains housed at SDYC, was most recently won by Newport Harbor Yacht Club from the 2019 running of the event where skipper Justin Law earned the win. Law is skippering for Newport Harbor Yacht Club again this year. “The talent across all of the teams that participate in the Lipton Cup is off the charts. SDYC does a great job hosting this first-class event,” he said.

The coveted Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup trophy is leaving San Diego Yacht Club and heading north to the home of this year’s winners: Newport Harbor Yacht Club! After three days of intense, close racing, skipper Justin Law and his seasoned crew earned their bragging rights by winning four of eleven races and staying in the top half of the fleet for almost every other race this weekend.

"It was super stressful. We just really played ball that last race. We had to stay five boats within Chicago and the team just did enough. Winning the first race made the tension go away and it was a great way to start the day. It set us up for a successful final two races," commented Law.

‘Stay out of the pack… and preferably in the front’ was the goal of today’s current first place skipper Will Holz of Chicago Yacht Club. On day two of the Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup, Holz and his crew were able to do just that, showing their competitors just how skilled they are in their home-town like winds.

The breeze was stronger than typical San Diego conditions today, seeing southerly winds with speeds in the range of 16-18 knots for the majority of the races. Teams were thrilled to be sailing faster and harder than on day one, especially Chicago Yacht Club, St. Francis Yacht Club and San Francisco Yacht Club who all came to Southern California from the some of the breeziest cities in the country. Holz (CYC) was able to use the breeze to his advantage and make his way from third place to first place in four races.

The 2019 Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup began today (Friday) at the San Diego Yacht Club, and it seems to be picking up right where it left off last year in 2018. All eleven participating yacht club teams are returning from last year, many of them being skippered by the same men and women at the helm. Shane Young and his Long Beach Yacht Club team were one team that really came back ready for a rematch.

Racing began around 1225 while the race committee waited for the breeze to fill in. This gave the teams time to get accustomed to the J/105s and the South San Diego Bay venue. In four races, competitors saw shifty breezes averaging 8 knots through the day. Temperatures hit the high 80’s and as usual, the Bay was covered with bright, sunny skies.

Currently standing in first place is Shane Young (Long Beach Yacht Club) with 15 points, tied with Tyler Sinks (San Diego Yacht Club) in second, also with 15 points. In third place stands Will Holz (Chicago Yacht Club) with 20 points.

One of the San Diego Yacht Club’s most coveted trophies is back up for grabs, going home with the winning team of the Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup on October 25-27, 2019. Eleven yacht clubs that battled for the title in 2018 return to South San Diego Bay for a rematch. In the running are: San Diego Yacht Club (2018 winners), Balboa Yacht Club, California Yacht Club, Chicago Yacht Club, Coronado Yacht Club, Long Beach Yacht Club, Newport Harbor Yacht Club, Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, San Francisco Yacht Club, St. Francis Yacht Club, and Southwestern Yacht Club.

The Lipton Cup is sailed in a fleet of J/105s, graciously loaned from local J/105 owners, with rotating boats between each race allowing for fair, even racing. The first warning signal is scheduled for 1125 each day.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint. That’s the theory that San Diego Yacht Club skipper Tyler Sinks followed during this weekend’s twelve intense races that brought his team to win the 2018 Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup for the second year in a row. And so it goes, they were right… again.

“We hung on by the hair on our chinny chin chin,” started SDYC Skipper Tyler Sinks. “We just tried to sail our own boat all day. It was such a tricky race course that it was hard to be in the right spot but I have such good teammates. They kept the boat moving the whole time and I just took orders all weekend. Having a good team really helped us pull it out.”

It was a busy day on San Diego Bay for day two of the 104th Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup. With a 580’ Bulk Carrier anchored directly in the middle of the course, U.S. Navy ships making way in and out of the channel and the CRA Halloween Regatta interweaving, navigating through the course was nothing short of exciting. San Diego Bay was a spectator’s paradise.

The regatta started out under postponement due to fluky and light breezes. Around 1 pm, the breeze picked up to about 8-10 knots and stayed consistent enough to hold four races. Traffic on the Bay made for choppy conditions and many race course obstacles, testing the skills of our twelve Lipton Cup teams.

Southern California’s home teams showed true perseverance in day one of San Diego Yacht Club’s Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup. Five Southern California yacht clubs dominated the top of the fleet today, despite some critical challenges on the course. With tight competition and teams finishing all over the score sheet, there’s no predicting the end of this regatta.

The conditions on the beautiful, city front course in San Diego Bay were favorable. Light, easterly winds started off the regatta but the breeze quickly increased between 8-10 knots for the rest of the day. Sunny skies and flat waters made for a smooth day of sailing.

San Diego Yacht Club will host the 104th annual Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup on October 26-28, 2018. Twelve of the most competitive teams from the U.S. and Canada will battle for the coveted Cup in a rotation of equal J/105s in the stadium sailing of San Diego Bay.

Eleven of the twelve yacht clubs competing are returning teams from the 2017 Lipton Cup, making for a similarly challenging series of races with a round robin format. After each race, competitors rotate boats, allowing for each team to have balanced boat conditions throughout the regatta.

San Diego Yacht Club hosts the 104th Lipton Cup regatta on October 26-28, 2018 with 12 races. Twelve yacht club teams from all over the country will race in the stadium sailing venue of San Diego Bay with one common goal: the Cup… one of the most coveted, sought after trophies on the West Coast. Skippers and their teams will compete in a rotation of 12 J/105s while spectators, friends and family cheer them on the finish.