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Dear Lipton Cup Competitors —- Cancellation notice —- July 8, 2020,

It is our unfortunate duty to inform you that the 2020 Lipton Cup on San Francisco Bay has been canceled. In our planning meeting on July 7th, the Organizing Authority informed the planning team that due to COVID-19 and uncertainty around our ability to hold the event safely this year’s regatta would need to be canceled.

We are instead looking forward to carrying your registrations over to the 2021 event which will be planned around its traditional weekend in June. Please stay tuned for information on the 2021 event that will be shared with you later in the year.

We hope that everyone is staying safe and well during these challenging times. We look forward to see you all back out on the water soon.
 
Thanks,
Ted Floyd, Encinal Yacht Club
 
Andrew Lorenzen, South Beach Yacht Club
 
Please support PICYA with a purchase of special edition Lipton Cup Neck Gators.  Go here to check them out.

 

 

 

The modern Lipton Cup regatta in San Francisco is three day racing special event presented by the Pacific Inter-Club Yacht Association.

The Pacific Inter-Club Yacht Association (PICYA) is made up of over 100 yacht and boat clubs in Northern California. They are one of the largest such associations in the world and their history dates back to 1896. PICYA was formed to foster communication and cooperation among boaters and their club members.

Overall Lipton Cup Award Plus Individual Trophy Events For Each Day

The Lipton Cup is awarded in a formal PICYA event for the overall points winner of the regatta.   

Since 2018, the regatta also includes three additional trophies awarded at the end of the racing day.

On Friday, the Admirals Cup is contested with older skippers representing their clubs in a single destination race.

On Saturday, clubs will compete in a series of short buoy races to win the Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Trophy.  Skippers must be at least 25 years old.

Sunday’s race is another destination race for the Larry Knight Trophy but skippers must be female.

Lipton Cup History

Sir Thomas Lipton first came to San Francisco Bay in 1912 to compete in 12-meter racing at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915.  WWI interrupted plans but the Lipton Cup was raced in 1916, 1918, 1919, and 1920.   At that time, the Cup was won by John Hanify.  With the death of Hanify, the 12- meter class also collapsed and the Cup itself was “lost” for 40 years.   PICYA regained control of the Cup in 1960 when it was found at the Olympic Club.

Tragedy hit when the Cup melted in the St. Francis YC fire of 1976.  Then a new trophy was built in the image of one of the 12-meter yachts.  The trophy is on display at the St. Francis YC.