After 6 days of thrilling racing and the final result hinging on today's performance, Greg Davis and Gareth Blankenberg, sailing "Team Colorpress" from Knysna Yacht Club, clinched the final race in this year Lipton Cup Challenge. Today's win, puts them on the top of the podium once again, having won the Challenge for the last 5 years. Now sailing for Knysna Yacht Club, this means that the Challenge next year will take place in Mossel Bay.

Once again, the intrepid teams took to the waters of Table Bay to do battle, and a mighty battle it was. With the leading boat, "Team Colorpress" (Knysna YC), not far enough ahead to be comfortable, and the 2nd placed "Team Intasure Marine Insurance" very much in the hunt, today's racing lived up to all expectations. Held in a 10 knot Northerly wind and sailing a sausage course of approximately 12 miles it was a duel to the end. Needing to insure that "Team Colorpress" didn't win, Andrea Giovannini and Markus Progli applied the pressure ruthlessly, right from the start and forced the leaders to fight for their position all around today's course.

With very light winds out of the west, it was touch and go as to whether there would be a race today. Fortunately, for the sailors, the Compulsory Courses had been sailed and this allowed Di Hutton-Squire, the Race Officer, to set a shorter course of around 6 miles. After bobbing around Table Bay for a couple of hours, waiting for the wind to fill in, the race finally started at 1435. With only 5 knots of wind over the course, it was slow going and imperative for the skippers to start in clean air and get away from the melee at the start and then take advantage of every puff and wind shift.

Congratulations to the team of William and Lucinda Edwards for their performance in the Hobie 16 Worlds.  The event was held in Welhai China, a total of 16 sailiors competed in the Masters event.  Fourteen races were sailed.

Goodday to the RCLaser Fleet,,,,,

The big news of the moment is that the RCLaser National Championships will be held at the Pretoria Sailing Club at Reitvlei on the  6th & 7th November 2010.

Day three in the Lipton Cup, started with flat seas and a light southerly breeze. With the weather forecast predicting 15 knots out of the S, the crews sailed onto the race course knowing that the days course would most probably be the final compulsory course, a rectangle. True to form, the Committee and mark laying boats laid the rectangular course and it was time to prepare for battle.

With one day of racing under their belts and a sense of who were the teams to beat and watch out for, the 25 yachts competing in this years Lipton Cup Challenge Cup left the confines of Table Bay Harbour and headed out onto the race course in light NW winds of around 9 -11 knots and lumpy seas, left over from the cold front that passed through the area two days ago. Difficult sailing conditions on little 8 m yachts who are easily stopped by the swell.

With the first race today, scheduled to start as the Athlone Towers met their fate, sailors from all over the country braved the lumpy seas and cold rain to compete in the opening race of this year's Lipton Cup Challenge.

One of the unique features of the Lipton Cup Challenge is that there are 3 required courses and it is customary for the Race officer to attempt to set the most difficult course, a square, on the very first day of the regatta. After dealing with the constantly shifting winds, Di Hutton-Squire, the Race Officer, decided to abandon her attempt to make use of the square course and set a windward, leeward (like a sausage) course as the first race. With the new course set, the sailors jostled for position and started the first race at 1310, only to have the Race Committee call for a General Recall after a large number of the yachts were across the line at the start.

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

For more information on the Lipton Cup and the teams visit http://www.liptoncup.org.za