“Talking Sailing” From My Archives. The 1957 Lipton Cup Contest

by Richard Crockett

Another new yacht, ‘Trickson II’, was added to the contest, making a fleet of eight. She was new to her owner, Harold Kohler, and was an unknown quantity as she had only been raced once in this country. She was an Arvid Laurin design, built in 1944.

This series of races will probably go down as the most unfavourable to competitors as two days before the scheduled start the boats were unable to sail because of the raging wind and heavy seas. On the first scheduled days racing the weather was not much better and the first round was postponed for two days.

The Argus reported on 1 June that “outside the harbour, though the wind had dropped slightly, the seas ran high and broke over the breakwater. One skipper remarked that the bell buoy – one of the marks in the race -”gets up and looks at itself about every three minutes”.”

Two days later, the Argus reported as follows: “With sheets of spray whipping over their foredeck and the wind at near-gale-force and squalls screaming through the rigging, two of the Lipton Cup yachts ‘Yvette’ and ‘Vanja V’ – returned from their berths in the yacht harbour to-day.

“‘Yvette’, skippered by Martin Gronn, and sailing under a reefed down storm mainsail reached down the Duncan Dock into the teeth of the north-wester and made a brief sortie heeling over at 45 degrees out of the harbour mouth.

“The wind was blowing too hard to hoist any other sails and the spray and rain squalls wet every thing inside the boat, including crew who were slightly protected by hoods and oilskins.

“Water dripped down the hatches and down the mast, so that the yacht had to be pumped after eight or nine minutes.

“Coming back to her berth, her skipper picked up his moorings at the first attempt more dexterously than I have seen anyone do it in a motor-boat.

“On shore, one of the crew of ‘Trickson II’ from Port Elizabeth, was taking cine film pictures of the weather. “If I don’t, they’ll never believe me at home”.”

Race 1
This was sailed in a strong north-wester and a raging sea on the triangular course. Wilfred Hancock in ‘Sunmaid’ (RNYC) was first followed by ‘Trickson II’ (RYC), ‘Yvette’ (ZVYC), ‘Inger’ (BYC), ‘Chiquita’ (HSC), ‘Rapid’ (HYC), ‘Vanja V’ (PYC) and ‘Tarpon’ (RCYC).

Race 2
This was a drifting match over the square course – and with the remains of the swell still evident, it just served to knock the fitful puffs out of the sails. Conditions were anything but easy!

‘Tarpon’ (RCYC), sailed by Mike Kuttel, who had finished last in the first race, won race two. They were followed by ‘Trickson II’,’Yvette’, ‘Vanja V’, ‘Rapid’, ‘Chiquita’, ‘Sunmaid’ and ‘Inger’.

Race 3
The wind at the start of the race indicated another drifting match, but after an hour a north-westerly breeze freshened and the boats made better time.

‘Chiquita’ (HSC), skippered by Jimmy Whittle, came in first, ahead of ‘Vanja V’. ‘Yvette’ only just beat ‘Trickson II’ to the line. ‘Tarpon’ was fifth, followed by ‘Sunmaid’, ‘Inger’ and ‘Rapid’.

‘Trickson II’ (RYC), which had not won a race, but had two seconds and a fourth, had gained most points to win the cup.

“I didn’t think we had a chance of winning the Lipton Cup” said Harold Kohler. “Before we got to Cape Town we had never sailed before as a crew, and we had not raced either, as there is no boat in Port Elizabeth to race against.

“We began sailing here as soon as we arrived, but we were completely green, and like the other boats, were badly held up by the weather before the racing started.

“We were so sure that we would not win that we spent a lot of time shooting colour films of the races – I don’t imagine any Lipton Cup skipper has done that before.”

So for the first time in the Lipton Cup history, the challengers would have to contest in Algoa Bay.

Trickson’s crew were: Harold Kohler (skipper); Rob McPherson; Scott Pearson; Nigel Atkinson & Ron Chedburn.

READ “SKIPPER OF WINNING YACHT THOUGHT HE DID NOT HAVE A CHANCE” HERE:  1957 06 06 – argus – skipper of winning yacht – RCYC Lipton Trustees – 001810 – OCR_Redacted