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.