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The Lipton Challenge Cup sailing event is this country’s most iconic yacht racing regatta, with its origins dating back to 1909 when Sir Thomas Lipton gave the South African Sailing Community the magnificent Lipton Cup trophy. The opening paragraph of the Deed of Gift says: “Know all men by those present that I, Sir Thomas Lipton, of London, England, for the purpose of encouraging yachting in South Africa, and especially in the way of friendly contests in sailing and seamanship …

by Richard Crockett The first race of the Lipton Cup kicks off on Monday in Table Bay – a mere 5 days away – and will bring with it a new era in one of the most up-to-date and modern racing keelboats available. Since 1982, which one can comfortably refer to as the ‘modern’ Lipton Cup era, just two classes of yacht have been used in the competition. In 1982 and 1983 the IOR 1/4-tonner was designated, and from 1984 …

  South African sailors have been competing in numbers internationally recently, and mostly doing pretty well, so our judges had a tough time calling the winner. Andrew Tarboton has always been a very versatile sailor who performs well in most classes and conditions, and just recently finished 14th in the Musto Skiff World Championships in Medemblik, the Netherlands. He scored four top ten places in 14 races, with a 2nd being his best individual result – an excellent result in …

“In the Vendée Globe, You Have to Have A Double Philosophy on How to Race” In the last eighteen months Sam Davies has established herself as a podium contender for the next Vendée Globe. On the water she has proven competitive across the wind range on her ‘Initiatives Coeur’ which has been substantially turbo’d up with a massive set of new foils. Her programme, a highly optimised 10 year old boat which was second in 2012 as ‘Banque Populaire’ and …

by Richard Crockett The America’s Cup and the Lipton Challenge Cup events can be compared by the fact that both are inter-club events, and that there is NO second place. The first race prior to the America’s Cup being established was a race ‘open to yachts belonging to the clubs of all nations’, making club membership a prerequisite from the outset. The prize? A £100 silver cup. America won that race, finishing several miles ahead. When Queen Victoria who was …

by Richard Crockett There is just over a week to go before the 2019 Lipton Challenge Cup starts, and it’s going to be one of those ‘must follow’ events for many different reasons as there are so many different facets to it this year. The Cape 31 Having used the very versatile L26 Class yacht for 35 continuous years from 1984 until 2018, this year a new class of yacht, the ultra-modern, ultra-fast and very slippery Cape 31 has become …

by Richard Crockett The L26 class was the Lipton boat of choice from 1984 until 2018 – a span of 35 years during which many an exciting challenge was witnessed, and during which many an older sailor, having been denied international competition for much of their sailing lives, made names for themselves locally. The winner during this period read like a ‘who’s who’ of top sailors in the country. It’s just such a pity that there is no definitive record …

Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has revealed that Skipper David Immelman, from Cape Town, is to lead Bermuda’s debut Team Entry, ‘GoToBermuda’, during the Clipper 2019-20 Race. Immelman, 48, was announced as one of eleven Clipper Race Skippers in March this year and has been based at Clipper Race HQ in the UK to prepare for the upcoming endurance challenge. Speaking on his appointment as ‘GoToBermuda’ Skipper, Immelman said: “I am so excited to have the opportunity to Skipper …

                        by Richard Crockett The Lipton Challenge Cup is no ordinary sailing regatta. It’s an event steeped in tradition, with some unique compulsory sailing courses mixed in with more modern courses, and is in fact the only national inter-Club sailing competition in the country. What it has stood for over the years in the previous 65 events sailed, is that the cup should be competed for by the very …

by Sonya Stock University teams from across South Africa met in Durban during the July vac for the annual Intervarsity Keelboat Match Racing Regatta. As usual, all universities brought their A-game with ‘gees’ levels high both on and off the water, creating an epic atmosphere for some classic shenanigans. The regatta started with a bang on the afternoon of the 7th following a short briefing outlining the rules. The start of the round robin saw a rather blustery, overcast 15 …

By Richard Crockett I was privileged to watch the Cape 31s racing yesterday, all in preparation for the Lipton Cup which starts on Monday 5 August. This was the final dress-rehearsal as there is no formal racing until Lipton. Not all teams had their full Lipton crew, but that did not detract in any way from the quality nor intensity of the racing. There was no quarter given, and every single mistake was punished – even the smallest of mistakes. …

Yesterday racing took place in winds of more than 25 knots with boats surfing at a similar speeds, and obviously were to the liking of Hasso Plattner who won the second race. The second race had the windward mark set closer to the land. Offshore, to the left of the upwind, the breeze held more solid. But inshore the leaders saw shifts of more than 40 degrees, lulls as light as eight knots and still gusts to more than 20. …

by Richard Crockett Coming from small fleets in this country it’s never easy to change gear and quickly get into the mind set of big fleet racing. That’s the reality for our RSA sailors, yet they are managing, but have yet to set the fleet alight. Yesterdays winds were stronger than the first day, steady in the 8 – 14 knot range, permitting multiple races across all fleets. Best of the locals was Cullen Keytel, although his first race of …

by Graeme Joffee Review by Richard Crockett In his introduction the author says that “Sport has been my life”. One can see this clearly when reading the book and seeing what he has done in sport, from being a player to being a media man. Personally I don’t know the man, but have read and listened to him over many years, and always found him to be a great journalist. Being so inter-twined in sport, it’s hardly surprising that he …

by Richard Crockett Light winds plagued the first day of racing resulting in some classes not even racing. The RSA teams were on the water and the Laser Boys and Girls put in satisfactory results to finish in the top half of their fleets. Isabella Wright’s 19 in the Girls Laser Radials was the best of the RSA teams, followed by Cullen Keytel who scored a 29th in the Boys Laser Radial. The Nacra 15 multihull team of Liam Gunning …