Defending champions Greg Davis and Gareth Blanckenberg of Theewater Sports Club’s Dalys Insurance are back in the top spot overall after bagging a win and a second place in two back to back races sailed in boisterous 15 knot north westerly winds on the penultimate day of racing in the Lipton Challenge Cup regatta being contested in Cape Town’s Table Bay this week.

But it is a tenuous one point lead for Davis and Blanckenberg who with 12 points from three wins, a seventh and a second place, are in danger of being overhauled in the final race of the event Friday (31 August) by Shosholoza skipper Mark Sadler racing for Royal Natal Yacht Club’s Orion. Sadler who is charged with taking the Cup back to Durban’s KwaZulu/Natal waters, is second overall with 13 points on the leader board with two seconds and three third places.

Also still very much in contention to take the prestigious Cup donated to South African sailing in 1909 by America’s Cup challenger Sir Thomas Lipton are father and son co-skippers Dave and Roger Hudson for Royal Cape Yacht Club’s Greenlight who with a third place and a win in today’s two races are just two points back in third place overall with 15 points.

Brothers Graeme and Paul Willcox on Zeekoevlei Yacht Club’s Alexandra Security who are fourth overall with 18 points after two fourth places today are also in with an outsiders chance. But it will be near impossible now for Shosholoza sailor David Rae and his young team from Pretoria on Transvaal Yacht Club’s Rote Hex “Bumbo” Saxon Insurance to leap frog up the rankings from his 27 point fifth place overall

Mark Sadler said their second place in the fourth race today brought them up to level with Dalys: “But after leading the whole way around in the fifth race we picked up kelp on the last beat and Dalys got past us. We tried to cover them but we were just going sideways. It was very disappointing.”

“We have to put two boats between us and Dalys in tomorrow’s race to win the Cup. If we beat them they will still win on the tiebreak because of their first places. Hopefully it goes our way but if it doesn’t it has still been the most awesome week of racing,” said Sadler.

Greg Davis of Dalys Insurance said he couldn’t say he feels confident going into the final race tomorrow as “anything can happen in sailing.”

“We are going to have good wind tomorrow so think it will be the same five boats at the top. But the pressure is definitely on Mark (Sadler),” said Davis.

Consistently solid performances have also come from the next five teams notably skipper William Norton and his crew from University of Cape Town’s   Lipton UCT who with four 7th and a 4th place is sixth overall and Port Elizabeth’s Simon Baer on Algoa Bay Yacht Club’s Isuzu Challenger with three 6th places, a 10th and a 12th is seventh overall, Limpopo co-skippers Peter Hill and Thomas Swana on Mountain Yacht Club’s Mac a Tini  are eighth, Rian Turner skipper of Hout Bay Yacht Club’s Bandito is ninth and Rodney Tanner for the Traditional Boat Association’s Team Escape 10th.

Skipper Damien Batley who with young 22 year old Shosholoza sailor Marcello Burricks at the helm of Hermanus Yacht Club’s  JML 3 have steadily climbed the leader board to 11th place overall as have the Cape Radio Yacht Club’s Auto Atlantic BMW all women’s team skippered by Judy Provoyeur who are now 12th

The young 15 year old skipper Asinathi Jim racing for Imperial Yacht Club’s MSC Foundation for Youth has struggled to claw back up the fleet since his surprise 6th place in the first race on Sunday but a 12 place in the last race today put him 18th overall.    

Only one race will be held tomorrow (Friday 31 August). The Lipton Cup will be presented to the 2007 Lipton Challenge Cup champions dockside immediately after the race.

Results Provisional First 10 Positions

Pos.Sail No. Club -  Boat Name – Skipper - Points

1. 74 Theewater Sports Club – Dalys Insurance – G Davis/G Blanckenberg - 12
2. 58 Royal Natal Yacht Club – Orion – Mark Sadler – 13
3. 24 Royal Cape Yacht Club – Greenlight – Dave & Roger Hudson – 15
4. 13 Zeekoevlei Yacht Club – Alexandra Security – Paul & Graeme Willcox – 18
5. 36 Transcaal Yacht Club – Rote Hexs “Bumbo” – Davis Rae – 27
6. 30 ICT Yacht Club – Lipton UCT – William Norton – 32
7. 20 Algoa Bay Yacht Club – Isuzu C hallenger – Simon Baer – 40
8. 69 Mountain Yacht Club – MAC A TINI – P Hill/ T Swana – 43
9. 38 Hout Bat Tacht Club – Bandito – Rian Turner – 61
10. 43 Traditional Boat Assocn – Tanner- Rodney Tanner - 61

Di Meek.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 30 August 2007 )