2024 Lipton Cup at San Diego Yacht Club - Overall
by San Diego Yacht Club 28 Oct 16:54 NZDT
October 25-27, 2024
San Diego Yacht Club has won the 2024 Sir Thomas Lipton Cup Challenge for the fourth consecutive year. SDYC's Jake La Dow's strong start established an early lead, leaving New York Yacht Club and Newport Harbor Yacht Club vying for the top spot over the next two days—but ultimately to no avail, as SDYC held onto first place.
The morning started out with a 45-minute postponement. It came as no surprise as there were calm waters all the way down to the racecourse in South San Diego Bay. As expected, the wind failed to fill, and shortly after the start of Race 10—before any boats reached the windward mark—the breeze died, forcing the race to be abandoned. After another hour-long postponement, Race 10 finally got under way with a fresh restart.
Racing got started with winds between 5-7 knots. During Race 11, the wind started to lighten, creating an exciting twist when Acapulco, who has been mid-tier all week, surged past Long Beach, Balboa, and San Francisco. Having never raced J/105s before, this win was especially exciting for them.
Going into the final race, winds thinned near the top of the course, but the race continued in hopes the breeze would hold. After the first rounding at the weather mark, the wind died, prompting the race committee to shorten the course and set the finish at the end of the second leg. Balboa, Southwestern, and Coronado finished in the top three for that race.
Despite wins by Acapulco and Balboa in the last two races, the overall standings held steady, with San Diego, New York, and Newport Harbor maintaining the top three positions.
The San Diego team was welcomed by a deck full of supporters who cheered them through the marina until they docked. Commodore Al Pleskus kicked off the celebrations with his famous shotgun blasts, and the team joyfully sprayed each other with champagne. A welcoming committee also had Mai Tais ready to celebrate their victory. Cheers of "Jake La Dow!" echoed from every direction, along with lighthearted quips about the rest of the crew, which included eight-time Lipton Cup winner Erik Shampain, 49er class Olympic hopeful Nevin Snow, world class navigator Chris Busch, accomplished sailor (and "team mom") Lucy Wallace, 7x Lipton Cup champion crew Max Hutcheson, and first time Lipton Cup crew Andy Reiter.
As the remaining teams trickled in, the crews congratulated one another and showed their appreciation for the competitive spirit and camaraderie of the weekend. They made their way to the awards ceremony and social hour, where New York Yacht Club and Newport Harbor Yacht Club received their respective awards. Naturally, SDYC proudly accepted the coveted Sir Thomas Lipton Cup, followed by an inspiring speech from skipper Jake La Dow. After many years as a Lipton Cup winning crew member, this was La Dow's first win as skipper taking the helm over this year from Tyler Sinks.
The San Diego Yacht Club extends its sincere gratitude to the race committee, especially PRO Bill Stump, as well as the dedicated volunteers, sponsors, and staff whose hard work and commitment made the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup Challenge a success. Their efforts ensured a well-run and memorable event for all participants.
Full results available here.