For the first time in as many years as it takes some armchair sailors to sail around the world, the Lipton Cup Challenge has a different format – NO one design class boats competing against each other.
In the recent past we had all clubs competing in identical Cape 31 yachts and before that in L26 yachts.
This year is the first year in which the winners will be determined based on handicap.
The Lipton Challenge started in False Bay on Wednesday 17 August with the Royal Natal Yacht Club defending the Lipton Challenge Cup which they won last year on Saldanha Bay.
Challenging them are five other Clubs, namely the Royal Cape Yacht Club as the Challengers of Record, Aeolians Club from the Vaal Dam, False Bay Yacht Club, Imperial Sailing Club from Muizenberg, and Walvis Bay Yacht Club from Namibia.
The Clubs competing in the contest are:
- Aeolians Club – Philip Baum – ‘Nemesis’
- False Bay Yacht Club – Allan Lawrence – ‘Avatar’
- Imperial Yacht Club – Paul Cartmel – ‘Atura’
- Royal Cape Yacht Club – Jimmy Jacka/Rob van Rooyen – ‘RCYC Jackal’
- Royal Natal Yacht Club – Davey James – ‘Orion DYP’
- Walvis Bay Yacht Club – Bjorn Geiger – ‘MB Racing’
Online Yacht Race Tracker – ‘watch’ the races live here: https://yb.tl/liptonccup22:
Richard Crocket spoke to Mark Sadler (MS) from the Royal Natal Yacht Club boat who was in the lead on day 2 and asked of this multiple winner of the Lipton Cup in one-designs, how he was enjoying the new concept of handicap racing. Sadler explained “It is interesting, but difficult with the number of boats to have a true reflection. We can really only gauge on the other Cape 31s and the other boats are either going to beat us or we are going to beat them, and it is what it is. It is very hard to control it. Just judging on yesterday which was extreme conditions, so maybe it will be different today and then the lighter conditions will be different again.”
Rick Nankin on Jackal (Royal Cape Yacht Club) who came first and a second overall on handicap corrected time yesterday, explained some of the challenges they experienced yesterday to Richard Crocket: “Yesterday, we had a halyard problem, a spinnaker problem, and a guy up the mast. The halyard went round the steaming light, because this is a racing boat, but also a cruising boat, but no damage otherwise.”
After Two Races the leaderboard was:
- MB Racing – 3
- RCYC Jackal – 3
- Nemesis – 7
- Orion DYP – 8
- Intasure Challenger – 9
It’s FAME Week Africa or FOMO!