The City of Cape Town (CoCT) has once again joined forces with The Royal Cape Yacht Club as a partner for the 2025 Lipton Cup Challenge, an inter-club sailing competition.
This continued partnership builds on a long and successful relationship between the Lipton Cup Challenge and the City, and reflects a shared commitment to growing the sport, promoting inclusivity, and showcasing Cape Town as a world-class sailing and tourism destination.
Hosted at RCYC from 23–30 August 2025, this year’s Challenge is expected to feature the largest fleet in over a decade, with up to 20 entries anticipated.
Already confirmed are teams representing Clubs from across South Africa — including entries from KwaZulu-Natal, Gqeberha, the North West Province, the Garden Route, the West Coast, and the Western Cape, as well as a challenger from Namibia.
Sir Thomas Lipton, widely known for his unfailing good sportsmanship, had a clear vision when he donated this iconic trophy. It was to encourage “friendly contests in sailing and seamanship in deep-sea yacht racing” around the coastline of Southern Africa.
The contest for this Cup continues to inspire generations of young South Africans from diverse backgrounds, introducing them to the many invaluable life lessons that the sport of sailing, especially offshore racing, always offers.
“We appreciate highly the City of Cape Town’s support for this great sporting event,” said David Hudson, Lipton Cup trustee.
The City’s support has been instrumental in helping the event grow, providing vital infrastructure and visibility, and enabling RCYC to welcome a diverse fleet of sailors — including youth-driven teams, transformation initiatives, and clubs taking part for the first time.
“It is exciting that Cape Town will be hosting the Lipton Challenge Cup for a second year in a row. Having Africa’s premier offshore sailing regatta in the Mother City brings with it a range of broader benefits, from developing young sailors to providing local boat builders the opportunity to showcase their innovation and craftsmanship. This event supports the City of Cape Town’s efforts in creating an environment that attracts investment, drives economic growth, and reinforces Cape Town’s reputation as a leading global events and tourism destination. We extend our warmest congratulations to the Royal Cape Yacht Club team on their impressive victory in the 2024 edition. We’re incredibly proud to see the trophy remain in Cape Town and hopeful that it stays here for yet another year,” said JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security.
