Strong fleet gearing up for Lipton Cup Regatta at the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria
by Harry Fisher 4 Nov 2019 09:54 GMT
16-17 November 2019
The Div C and D start line at last year's Lipton Cup Regatta © Harry Fisher
The Victorian Sydney Fleet will this year take part in the 2019 Lipton Cup Regatta as part of its 2019/20 program, with a strong fleet getting ready to descend on the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria for its major club regatta of the year.
Hosted on 16-17 November this year, the Lipton Cup event is one of the most historic in Victoria and will see a fleet of about 10 Sydney Class yachts (32s, 36s and 38s) as they prepare for a big season ahead.
This is a new initiative towards forming a Sydney Class Association for Port Phillip Bay, which will hopefully create an annual event as well as possibly more class fleet racing in the future.
The Lipton Cup is an important event on the sailing calendar and the Sydney fleet will have three races on Saturday 16 November and a long race on Sunday 17 November as a combined regatta event.
With strong support from a number of other clubs across the state, the Lipton Cup has been very well supported by the local community and sailors as it brings together fleets of off-the-beach dinghies, racing and cruising keelboats, sports boats, and classic yachts.
This year there is expected to showcase more than 200 entries, fairly evenly split between keelboats and dinghies, with more than 20 different classes on display.
Royal Yacht Club of Victoria General Manager Michael Neumann says the event is well known across the Victorian sailing community as a fun and affordable weekend of sailing that is suited to all types of sailors.
"The sailing program caters for all sailing enthusiasts, offering high-quality racing for the serious racing fraternity and an enjoyable weekend's sailing for the cruising boats," he said.
"The northern waters of Port Phillip offer excellent sailing, dramatic views of the city of Melbourne, and fresh summer sea breezes.
"After sailing, relax to live music on the lawn at the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria while enjoying the warm, friendly atmosphere and stunning views."
The Lipton Cup is open to all classes and is also set to be a hive of activity off the water, with a busy social calendar in place for the weekend including great music, great food and stunning views of Port Phillip.
For more information about the Lipton Cup and to enter into the event, head to the event website. liptoncup.com.au