Lipton Challenge Cup 2026

Date: 25 August 2026 – 29 August 2026

Location: Hermanus Yacht Club / Royal Cape Yacht Club, Cape Town, South Africa

Organizer: Lipton Challenge Cup Trustees

The Lipton Challenge Cup is South Africa's oldest inter-club sailing contest, raced for a trophy donated by the tea magnate Sir Thomas Lipton in the early twentieth century. Clubs challenge for the cup and the holder defends, a format closer to the America's Cup than to a normal regatta, and only one boat per club competes. The 2026 contest runs from 24 to 29 August at the Royal Cape Yacht Club in Cape Town, with racing from 25 August on courses in and around Table Bay. The 2026 edition is sailed in the J/22 class under strict one-design rules, which keeps the contest about crews rather than chequebooks. Table Bay in late August can serve up anything from glassy calms to a hard southeaster with Table Mountain behind the racecourse, and the venue has decided more than one Lipton Cup on its own. Entry lists are short and the sailing is sharp.

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