The Northeast Lipton Challenge Cup is an inter-club competition with a format similar to the Gulf Coast (GYA) Lipton and Pacific Coast (PICYA) Lipton: one boat per club, with rotating helms.
It is a test of bench strength and teamwork among some of the best one-design racing yacht clubs and sailing associations on the Eastern Seaboard, from the Canadian Maritimes to the Chesapeake.
The 2026 Challenge Cup, sponsored by Links Drinks, was hosted by Noroton Yacht Club. The Lipton is always a close competition, and this year was no exception. There were five different winners over five races, and when the dust settled, only five points separated the top five clubs.
Close competition at the 2026 Northeast Lipton Challenge
Nepean Sailing Club from Ontario, Canada, emerged as deserving and popular winners.
This was Nepean’s second Lipton. In 2024, they finished fifth — close, but no cigar. One of their co-skippers that year was Alexander Sheppard, who was 18 at the time and the top-scoring youth helm.
In 2026, Alexander returned with his dad, Van Sheppard, and his brother Steven Sheppard. Alexander won the Youth Trophy again, but this time the team won the whole caboodle as well. A glass replica of the Lipton Cup will now reside proudly in the trophy cabinet at Nepean.
Noroton Yacht Club and Milford Yacht Club finished tied on points for second place. The tiebreaker went to Noroton, who collected second, with Milford taking third.
Community Boating Inc. of Boston finished fourth after leading the regatta — until they forgot the golden rule of the Lipton: There are no discards.
You win the Lipton by recovering from bad starts and avoiding howlers. CBI had a scoreline of seconds and thirds until they pushed too hard with a late takedown at a leeward mark rounding, shrimped the kite, and scored a last-place finish in one crucial race.
Fifth place went to the always-competitive Shelter Island Yacht Club, helmed by Rachel Beardsley, Peter Beardsley, and Paul Zinger. Rachel was the top woman skipper and took home the first-place Women’s Champion trophy. Erin Florio, co-helming the American Yacht Club team, earned the second-place women’s trophy.
Seven teams had a Grand Master — age 60 or older — on the team, with the top four receiving Lipton Challenge Cup jackets. As older sailors age out of dinghies and heavier keelboats, many find the ease and simplicity of the Viper a welcome relief, allowing them to compete on a level playing field with sailors half their age.
The two oldest helms were comfortably over 65. The two youngest were under 18.
Finally, this event could not have happened without the efforts and support of the all-volunteer team at Noroton. Special thanks go to Event Co-Chair Laurie Morrison, PRO Glenn Morrison, and Chief Judge Britt Hall.
Lindsay Krupa catered the Mexican-themed dinner and party, complete with a Day of the Dead Tiki Bar. Lindsay totally understood the Viper vibe, and the Zombie cocktails were, in a word, devastating!
