Serious Sailing About to Startin Table Bay

After months of preparation and training, many of South Africa’s best sailors are now in Cape Town getting ready to compete in the upcoming Lipton Cup Challenge, which is being sailed in Table Bay. With a rich and distinguished history spanning over a century, Lipton Cup pits the sailors, from all the yacht clubs from Walvis Bay to Maputo, against each other in identical boats, sailed under strict one design rules.

Presented in 1909 to the South African Yacht Clubs by Sir Thomas Lipton, the “Lipton Cup” was presented to further the sport of sailing, with a special emphasis on ocean sailing, by one of the greatest challengers for the infamous “America’s Cup”.  Drawing sailors and boats from all over  Southern Africa, each yacht club is entitled to enter a single team into this regatta.

This year, the youngest competitor is 13-year old Robert Wood, who is crewing on the Milnerton Aquatic  Club entry, “Team Magnificent Hitachi” sponsored by  Hitachi Power Africa. Having started sailing in December 2007, this young man regularly sails at Rietvlei.  Robert is a Eversdal  Primary School student and will be responsible for pulling on, and controlling the ropes that take the sails to the top of the mast, a big responsibility for a young man. “Team Magnificent Hitachi” is led by venerable Cape Town yachtsman, Brent Gray, and competes with young sailors who come from a primarily dinghy background and can be found most weekend racing against each other on the lake in Milnerton.

For the next week, 25 locally built, L26 yachts will be sailing against each other each day on Table Bay. With racing scheduled to start daily at noon, the general public will be able to watch the on water duels each afternoon. The event will end on Friday the 27th and a new champion will be crowned at the prize giving held that night at Royal Cape Yacht Club in Table Bay Harbour." - Matthew L. Thomas