City of Cape Town to welcome the 70th edition of the Lipton Challenge Cup which is officially under way at Table Bay. Premier offshore sailing regatta of Africa, returns to Cape Town for the first time in five years.
The nine sailing teams from across the country, will include hosting the club and defending champions of Royal Cape Yacht Club, and are battling it out in the Atlantic Ocean till Saturday, August 31, 2024.
Reportedly, there were other participating competitors which included King Shaka Yacht Club from Richards Bay, George Lakes Yacht Club from Wilderness, Defence Yacht Club from Saldanha Bay, False Bay Yacht Club from Simon’s Town, Theewater Sports Club from Villiersdorp, Milnerton Aquatic Club, Seal Point Yacht Club from Vaal Dam and the KSYC Centre of Sailing Excellence from Richards Bay.
As the pinnacle of South Africa’s sailing scene, the Lipton Challenge Cup pits the teams against each other in hard sailing and strategic manoeuvring courses off the coast of Table Bay.
The Royal Cape Yacht decided to host the 2024 edition after winning the competition in Durban last July. With 17 wins, the club holds the record for most Lipton Challenge Cup titles.
City of Cape Town is partnering with the Royal Cape Yacht Club as the Host City, including the collaboration that goes back over a decade for the Lipton Challenge Cup.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Safety and Security – Alderman JP Smith said that the City of Cape Town is proud to continue its long-standing partnership with Africa’s premier offshore sailing regatta.
Smith also said that it provides an opportunity for not only sailors to showcase their skill, but manufacturers to showcase their capabilities, by assisting the City of Cape Town with their objectives of creating an enabling environment to attract the investment that generates the economic growth and of course promotes the Cape Town as a premier tourism destination.
Country’s most prestigious keelboat sailing contest has brought more than just the action at sea, but provides opportunities for the development of emerging sailors, with the Milnerton Aquatic Club by having some of the youngest crew members on its team.
Notably, the Lipton Challenge Cup will also elevate the prestige of sailing as a national contest for keelboats and consequently has a direct impact on the economic growth of the maritime industry and boat designers, charter companies and consumers.
A per the sources, the South African maritime manufacturing industry has currently estimated the R4 billion by providing 6,500 jobs, out of which Cape Town enjoys 80% in value terms.
Further opportunities for the growth of industry, that stimulated off were back of national events, such as the Lipton Challenge Cup which was hosted in Cape Town on the waters of Table Bay and the iconic backdrop of Table Mountain.