Lipton Cup. “Ma’am, There is No Second.”

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 on the water watching the race asked who came second, an aide replied, “Ma’am, there is no second.”

And so too in the Lipton Cup which is all about the winner.

The inscriptions of the winning skippers on the Lipton Challenge Cup read like a who’s who of sailing in this country, with this years 66th challenge going to be one of the most competitive for some years as a new class of boat, the Cape 31 is being used. But more of that another time.

Enjoy this random selection of pics of some of the more modern day winners.

See the Lipton Cup Roll of Honour HERE:  lipton cup roll of honour