95th Lipton Cup Interclub Challenge

Saturday, 12 March, 2016 was the 95^th Lipton Cup Day. This is an annual Ponsonby Cruising Club Interclub Challenge sailed in the 22 ft Mullet Boats.

The Mullet boats were originally designed as shallow draft open sailing boats to bring the catches back to the markets with all haste. By the early 1900’s when not fishing they had become the largest racing fleet on the Auckland Harbour, a fleet deserving of a major trophy! “Ponsonby” wrote to Sir Thomas Lipton Suggesting such a trophy and since 1921 the Lipton Cup has held pride of place in the Ponsonby Cruising Club trophy cabinet. It has been raced for every year since 1922 in the 22 ft Mullet boats - basically the same boats with same class rules. Although construction materials have changed – there are ‘glass boats and aluminium spars –the general measurements are unchanged!

• Overall hull length - 22ft, Overall rig length - Bow sprit to boom end – 38ft 6”! Max Beam 9ft.
• The Centreplate is solid steel hung on a King Bolt, The rudder is a “Barn Door” hung on Gudgeons on the stern transom.
• The Mast hoist height is 42 ft, and the Spinnaker Pole is 22 ft long and worn from the mast only.
• The Main is 550 sq ft (51 sq m) with 2 lines of reef points. The spinnaker can be 800 sq ft Max. Fully rigged with a spinnaker there is a lot of sail on a small boat – Spinnaker Pole to Boom end about 45 ft.!
• The Minimum Hull weight is 1800 lbs. 816.48 kg and a 10 kg Anchor with 6.7 m of chain plus warp must be carried and -
• A Mullet boat carries 1 ton (2240 lbs /1016kg) of ballast stowed securely under the cockpit sole.

All boats had started the day with a safety check in accordance with the Class Rules.

The Special Lipton Cup Rules state that the race start will be on the wind using laid marks and the course length shall be approximately 20 miles using harbour marks. There will be a crew of 6 and Individual Sponsorship is not permitted. This year the sailing instructions were posted on line but the course sheet was issued, as is the tradition, at the briefing on the morning prior to the race. (For the Race Officer the hardest task is setting a competitive course for a four hour race by 0800 for an 1100 start!!) 

This year the weather gods were kind! Nine boats started off Westhaven with two windward leewards – it was slack tide for the start but throughout the race the tidal flow increased to a maximum ebb – it was a king tide!  Snatcher had fouled at the start and did two 360° turns! Not simple in a Mullet boat in a full sail breeze! Then it was on the wind and tight reaches to the Narrowneck Buoy in the moderate to fresh easterly going out with the tide. (The tide caught Snatcher at Rough Rock Buoy and she did another 360°after touching the mark with the end of her boom!) Then more tight reaches and a spinnaker run all the way to Chelsea working the ebbing tides with frequent gybes and it was still anyone’s trophy as they went under the bridge! More windward leewards and the call came from the patrol boat at Bayswater that three boats were neck and neck for the run to the finish! After four hours and twenty miles the first three boats finished within 15 seconds of each other led by Snatcher!! And NO protests! She had done her turns!! Second was Orion 11 and third was Valeria. Valeria had won the first Lipton Cup Challenge in 1922!!

The attraction to those who sail these boats is the pure adrenalin of dealing with the massive sail area compared with the size of the boat and the skill required to keep them in top flight and upright in the heat of the close racing. They are known to capsize and sink with all that ballast! And there is no room for “passengers”! Stand by to gybe! Whose on the keyboard – coordinate the spinnaker topper and downhaul while the forward hand swings that giant pole to reverse and set the spinnaker on the other gybe while the “gorilla” on the mainsheet heaves in and eases out again - Fast! NO crash gybes! Whose on the brace? Trim the guy! Backstays!! Get that backstay on quick! Trim the headsail!  Trim the traveller! And the Centreboard! Stand by to gybe again!!! And again!! Stand by to drop! Plate down! Ease the topper! Headsail on! Give a hand to heave in the mainsheet! Stack!! There are no stacking straps or trapezes so don’t let go!! 

After the race it is back to the dock for the winner for the age old tradition of having the ballast weighed! Ingot by ingot on the scales hung from the boom! Snatcher measured! She last won in 1995.

The “Mulleties” have been a part of developing the career of many top yachtsmen and continue to play a role. In five years it will be the Centennial – A nobel event for a nobel little fleet and the magnificent LIPTON CUP!