2024 Lipton Cup at San Diego Yacht Club - Day 2
by San Diego Yacht Club 26 Oct 20:23 PDT
October 25-27, 2024
Day 2 of the Sir Thomas Lipton Challenge Cup brought exciting shifts in the leaderboard as teams battled through races 6-9. San Diego Yacht Club's skipper Jake La Dow continued his impressive performance, holding onto the top position with a near-flawless series. New York Yacht Club's with skipper Pete Levesque surged forward, securing several top five finishes that boosted their ranking, narrowing the gap to San Diego.
The morning began with another postponement due to tricky conditions, leaving the Race Committee to shift the course multiple times as winds varied. Starting the day with angles between 270 and 310 degrees, the committee had to eventually adjust back down to 255 degrees, creating an unpredictable environment that kept everyone on their toes. Despite the shifty conditions leading to slower racing, competitors showed adaptability throughout the day.
Race Six
The first race of the day saw some exciting moves as Coronado Yacht Club, skippered by Scott Harris, surged ahead with a standout win, shifting them into the upper rankings. The consistent performances from Newport Harbor Yacht Club and San Francisco Yacht Club kept them in the running, while New York Yacht Club capitalized on strong finishes to place them in second overall.
Races Seven and Eight
Races seven and eight continued the trend of shifting positions. The teams battled fiercely for every mark, with New York YC's strategic maneuvers paying off, bringing them closer to San Diego YC. Throughout these races, the mid-tier teams—Pensacola Yacht Club and CdY Acapulco—maintained steady performances, but they struggled to break into the upper rankings.
Race Nine - Final Race of the Day
The final race started off with aggressive positioning from a couple of teams which resulted in OCS' penalties. The leaderboard saw significant changes as New York YC moved up to second place overall, benefitting from a strong finish in Race 6 and a solid performance in Race 9. Meanwhile, Newport Harbor Yacht Club made a remarkable leap from fifth to third place, showing that their consistency across the board is deserving of the top three. Despite the steady efforts from Pensacola and CdY Acapulco, they remained in the mid-tier, facing tough competition from the front runners.
Specific Standings Shifts:
- San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC) - Maintained a strong lead with minimal shifts.
- New York Yacht Club (NYYC) - Moved up from 4th to 2nd place, benefiting from strong finishes like 1st place in Race 6 and 6th place in Race 9.
- Newport Harbor Yacht Club (NHYC) - Progressed from 5th to 3rd place, due to consistent high placements, including 2nd in Race 9.
- San Francisco Yacht Club (SFYC) - Advanced from 6th to 4th place by placing in the top three in multiple Day 2 races, including 3rd in Race 9.
- Coronado Yacht Club (CorYC) - Climbed from mid-tier standings around 9th to 6th place, leveraging their 1st-place finish in Race 6 to boost their score.
Saturday's festivities brought competitors together for a blue blazer plated dinner in the main dining room and deck of San Diego Yacht Club. They shared their experiences from the day, and had Maui Brewing for providing a variety of their beers for the banquet.
With only three races remaining for Sunday's final day of the regatta, all eyes are on the top teams as they compete for the podium.
Spectators are encouraged to cheer on their favorite teams on the water! Bring your vessel or hop on with friends to watch some great racing. You can also watch by following on our socials such as Instagram or Facebook, or by checking in on the mark rounding tracker throughout the day.
Full results available here.
Thank you to our dedicated volunteers who make these regatta's possible. We appreciate all the hard work that goes into putting on an event like this.