Five ICOYC clubs are registered for this classic race!

There’s something special about San Diego Yacht Club’s (SDYC) Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup. Some may claim it’s the competition – the best sailing teams that yacht clubs all over the country put together. Others claim it’s the one-design format – each team rotates between the fleet of eleven equalized J/105s after each race, giving each team a fair chance in every boat. Competitors might anticipate thriving post-race socials after a tough day on the water, and locals might boast about their quality San Diego Bay venue and top-notch race management. The truth of the matter is that each one of these aspects makes the Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup, better known as the Lipton Cup, a highly sought-after trophy around the country.

This fall, the regatta is scheduled once again on its traditional weekend of October 28-30. Eleven teams are registered from yacht clubs east to west for three-days of intense racing. Some are novices to the Lipton Cup, and some more experienced, though all skippers were selected by their home club to best represent them on (and off) the water.

The full roster of participating Lipton Cup teams:

American Yacht Club – Skipper Dwight Greenhouse

California Yacht Club – Skipper Will Peterson

Chicago Yacht Club – Skipper Will Holz

Coronado Yacht Club – Skipper Scott Harris

Del Rey Yacht Club – Skipper Chris Weis

Long Beach Yacht Club – Skipper Keith Ives

Newport Harbor Yacht Club – Skipper Justin Law

New York Yacht Club – Skipper Peter Levesque

San Diego Yacht Club – Skipper Tyler Sinks

San Francisco Yacht Club – Skipper Shawn Bennett

Storm Trysail Club – Skipper Bill Zartler

Returning on behalf of SDYC is skipper Tyler Sinks, with crew members Max Hutcheson, Lucy Wallace, Nick Kaschak, Eric Shampain, Jake La Dow, and Nevin Snow. “The format of the Lipton Cup is very unique given the boat rotations between each race. The competition is also notable as most yacht clubs send their best teams to compete making the racing extremely close and fun for spectators. The team and I try to sail in a few of the local One Design weekends and organize after-work training sessions in La Playa before the regatta. I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and having a great, competitive week of sailing. October in San Diego is tough to beat, I just hope we have some wind,” explained Sinks.

With four Lipton Cup wins under his belt (including 2021), Sinks is surely a team to beat. Sinks skippered for Team SDYC this September at the New York Yacht Club Resolute Cup in Newport, RI, where they finished second, right in front of Storm Trysail Club.

Chris Weis, skipper for Team Del Rey Yacht Club, has been interested in competing in the Lipton Cup since a young age, and named it a “must-do” for sailors in the region. “Our team has been practicing these last few months in preparation for the Lipton Cup on a J/105 in Marina Del Rey. As a team, we competed in the Catalina 37s at Long Beach Race Week and were happy to come away 3rd. From that, we identified a few areas we really want to focus on and will be working on those until the event,” explained Weis.