Liberty Sailing Club to host the Philadelphia Cup Regatta
by Carol Bareuther 17 Apr 02:53 NZST
September 27, 2025
Liberty Sailing Club's fleet of J/27s racing in the 2024 Philadelphia Cup Regatta © Irina Bernatsky
The Philadelphia Cup Regatta, an exciting sailing competition hosted by Liberty Sailing Club on the Delaware River with Center City as the backdrop, will take place on September 27, 2025.
Twenty boats in three classes with over 100 sailors raced on the Saturday of Memorial Day in May 2024, albeit in light winds. Organizers are counting on better breeze and more boats on the start line, with the move to the Cup's traditional fall time frame.
"We wanted to announce the Cup's new date early so sailors can put us on their calendars," says Mark Sidell, Commodore of the Liberty Sailing Club. "We invite sailors and spectators alike to join us at the Philadelphia Cup Regatta, a fantastic sailing regatta uniting clubs across the region. We expect the racing events to feature everything from nimble dinghies to majestic keelboats with diverse sailors. Then, after a day of exhilarating races, we'll host an after-party and Awards Ceremony. The Philadelphia Cup perpetual trophy, where each class winner will have their name engraved, will be displayed."
Blast from the past to present
The Philadelphia Cup Regatta was first hosted by Liberty Sailing Club, Corinthian Yacht Club, and Riverton Yacht Club from 2011 to 2016 and returned in 2024. The Cup itself dates back over 40 years.
Entry is open to everyone! This includes one-design classes like J27s, J22s, Lightnings, Flying Scots, Mariners, V15s, Lasers, Sunfish, and more, as well as PHRF Spinnaker and Non-Spinnaker Classes.
One of last year's class winners was George Bader. Sailing under the Riverton Yacht Club burgee, Bader won the 9-boat PHRF Spinnaker Race Class aboard his J/24, Knight Errant. "This was the coolest venue I have ever sailed, right in the shadow of Philadelphia," says Bader, whose team included friends James Elder and Mike Duffy and dad, Tom Bader.
Registration and the Notice of Race will open soon at yachtscoring.com
The regatta will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing for 2025-2028 (RRS) including the prescriptions of U.S. Sailing except as modified by the Sailing Instructions.
For more information, visit libertysailing.clubexpress.com or contact the regatta director at . Check out the Philadelphia Cup Regatta on Facebook, and Instagram at @philly_cup_regatta.