2023 Lipton Cup at San Diego Yacht Club - Day 2
by San Diego Yacht Club 29 Oct 2023 15:14 AEDT
October 27-29, 2023
2023 Lipton Cup © Mark Albertazzi
As day two of the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup Challenge commenced, everyone was hopeful that today would be their day. With two thirds of the regatta left to sail, teams planned their attack to move up the board. However, it was Newport Harbor Yacht Club (NHYC) that had laser focus on what continues to be the most critical component this regatta... consistency.
With four consecutive second place finishes, NHYC dominated the day. Throughout the rest of the fleet we saw highs and lows from nearly every crew. There are no small mistakes at Lipton Cup because in a fleet this competitive an OCS, prematurely extending the bowsprit or accidentally kissing the mark can dash your hope of winning. Minimizing the number of mistakes was certainly the name of the game and no one did it better than NHYC today.
After a short postponement while we waited for the wind to fill in, race six began at 1200. San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC) skipper and five time Lipton Cup Champion, Tyler Sinks got off the line with his team and reached the weather mark first. He maintained his lead through each mark rounding and secured a first place finish. Over the past eight years, Sinks has established he IS the competition and the first half of this regatta has substantiated that.
The remainder of the day's races brought a bit of a reset to the fleet with SDYC's lead shrinking and new contenders emerging upon each finish. Significant changes in velocity required teams to make adjustments on the fly and left even less room for error. In addition to SDYC and NHYC; Coronado Yacht Club, New York Yacht Club, and Alamitos Bay Yacht Club all took turns in the top three today.
In race eight Coronado Yacht Club (CYC) skipper Scott Harris and his crew were able to get ahead and stay ahead after winning the start which led to a first place finish. CYC capitalized on that momentum by clawing their way through the pack on the first and second legs of race nine and clutching back to back wins.
At the end of day two NHYC sits in first place with a hard earned three point lead. SDYC landed in second with thirty four points, followed by CYC in third place with forty points.
Tonight, skippers, crews and their guests are invited to a sit-down Banquet in SDCY's Main Dining Room, where they are encouraged to participate in a fun roast between teams. The final day of racing will resume tomorrow morning at 1135, followed by an Awards Ceremony where the winning team will be presented with the Lipton Cup trophy!
Spectators are encouraged to bring out their boats or hop aboard a friend's for one or all of the racing days on the water! Remember to hashtag #sdycliptoncup when posting about the event!
Results available here.