Sailing Magazine
The last time that the Gordons Bay Yacht Club won the Lipton Cup was way back in 1998 when sailing off Port Elizabeth in Algoa Bay. Pete Shaw and Steve du Toit were joint skippers all those years ago.
The Club is back again, this time with a young mixed team of sailors who will be sailing aboard the Cape 31 ‘Ski’ which will be skippered by Rodney Tanner.
‘Ski’ was the very first C31 launched after the prototype ‘Flame’ was extensively evaluated prior to the first C31 being built. So Tanner has a lot of experience on the boat, and by now should have sussed out all its nuances.
His crew, while young, have been sailing together for years on various boats, so come with some pedigree and experience.
The Lipton Challenge Cup takes on a whole new dimension this year as it is the first time that the new Cape 31 yachts will be used in the competition. Although only 10 entries are expected, these will be from some of the very best sailors in this country, such is the renewed interest in this event.
