We have some news regarding the on-going Lipton Cup. Before the event started, the forecasts predicted rough weather. Luckily, that didn’t happen as we had a nice day willed with the breeze. This is the 102^nd Challenge for Lipton Cup. There are 12 teams that completed 4 races in J/105s. The teams came from Massachusetts, New York and California.

However, there had a 20 minute delay in the race. When the race 1 & race 2 began, they had to face 8 knots of wind. California Coast was at the top. Newport, San Diego and St. Francis teams walked away with the first 3 positions. In the case of the 2nd race, 3 teams tied for the first place. The Newport club took the overall lead after races 3 & 4. The score was 1 – 3, with the Yacht Charter in Dubrovnik team riding on on the heels of the leaders.

When asked about this early lead, the team official said that staying in the pressure was the main strategy followed by them. And they tried to stay away from the bad air of other teams. They focused on having clean air and a clean start. According to the official who was ready to talk to, they will follow the same strategy for all the upcoming 11 races as well.

But as far as this club is concerned, they are familiar with the conditions. They participated in Masters Regatta as well. But Lipton Cup is altogether different game. It is a far more intense race compared to the Masters Regatta. And they have to deal with more pressure as well. They were second last year and 3^rd two years ago. And they know that, the pressure is always round the corner and they have to perform under challenging conditions. The best thing about winning the initial races is that they don’t have to deal with much pressure now.

Watch this space for more updates as the race progresses.