Lipton Challenge Cup
Lipton Challenge Cup takes place Aug 25 - 29, 2026 (registration Aug 24), hosted by Royal Cape Yacht Club in Cape Town, South Africa. The dress code is Team sailing kit afloat; the club blazer and tie tradition still holds at the prize-giving. Typical cost ranges from 350 to 1200 EUR per person.
South Africa's oldest and most fiercely contested keelboat trophy, first sailed in 1911 after Sir Thomas Lipton donated the cup, and raced inter-club in matched one-design boats so the result comes down to crew work alone. The host club rotates around South African coastal clubs, with the 2026 edition sailed in Table Bay out of the Royal Cape Yacht Club. Outside southern Africa almost nobody has heard of it, which is a large part of its charm.
- When
- Aug 25 - 29, 2026 (registration Aug 24), hosted by Royal Cape Yacht Club
- Where
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Dress code
- Team sailing kit afloat; the club blazer and tie tradition still holds at the prize-giving
- Cost
- Typical cost ranges from 350 to 1200 EUR per person.
- Weather
- 12 - 18C, Cape Town winter, cool and changeable with rain and the chance of a strong front
- When to book
- Club challenges are lodged months ahead; August is Cape Town low season so hotels can be booked 4 to 6 weeks out
- Getting there
- CPT (Cape Town), about 20 min to Royal Cape Yacht Club in Table Bay Harbour
- Where to stay
- The Table Bay Hotel, The Silo Hotel, Radisson RED V&A Waterfront
- Official site
- https://liptoncup.com/
How to attend
The racing in Table Bay can be watched free from the shoreline and from Royal Cape Yacht Club vantage points, and the club is generally open to visitors during regatta week. Competing is by club challenge only - crews are entered by affiliated South African yacht clubs, not by individuals, so there is no public entry route. If you have one-design experience, asking around the club bar is the realistic way onto a challenging team.
Racing in Table Bay is free to watch from the shoreline and Royal Cape Yacht Club, so no ticket is sold; competing is by club challenge only, with crews entered by affiliated South African yacht clubs rather than individuals.
Insider tip
August is Cape Town's cheapest month and the racing happens in Table Bay right off the city - it is the rare prestige regatta you can watch in a bargain week.
Get inside Lipton Challenge Cup
Booking matters here: club challenges are lodged months ahead; August is Cape Town low season so hotels can be booked 4 to 6 weeks out. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.
Free while in beta. One email when your invitation is ready, nothing else.