.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
In February 1908 the Brooklyn Y.C. announced a challenge for an ocean race of approximately 325 miles to be sailed on July 4th 1908. The trophy was presented by Sir Thomas Lipton as a "Lipton Cup". Twenty yachts entered, primarily from the Brooklyn Y.C. Mr. Frederick Thompson, a failed architect, and who created some of the most extravagant amusement parks in the world including Luna Park on Coney Island and the Hippodrome, owned the schooner Shamrock (coincidently with the same name as Sir Thomas Lipton's America's Cup yacht) one of the clear favorites. She was to be skippered by Charlie Barr, the great America's Cup and ocean racing skipper, and crewed by a number of sailors from Reliance. It took Shamrock two days, six hours and fifty-seven minutes to sail the 325 mile course, with the yachts Mimosa III in second and Tammany in third. The race was not without incident as Mimosa III protested Shamrock's rating, which was found to be without merit. Sir Thomas Lipton presented the trophy to Mr. Frederick Thompson and the club at a ceremony on July 22nd.
Sir Thomas Johnstone Lipton Bt KCVO (born May 10, 1850 in Glasgow; died October 2, 1931 in London) was a Scottish self-made man, merchant, and yachtsman, who created the famous Lipton tea brand and was the most persistent challenger in the history of the America's Cup. His well publicized efforts to win the cup, earned him a specially designed cup for "the best of all Losers" presented to him by the New York Yacht Club. He enjoyed the sport of yachting so much that he presented a series of trophies, commonly referred to as "Lipton Cups" to a variety of different clubs between 1905 and 1930, including the New York Yacht Club, San Diego Y.C., Houston Y.C., Table Bay Yacht Club among others. All of this to promote the sport of yachting and his tea brand around the world.
Sir Thomas Johnstone Lipton Bt KCVO (born May 10, 1850 in Glasgow; died October 2, 1931 in London) was a Scottish self-made man, merchant, and yachtsman, who created the famous Lipton tea brand and was the most persistent challenger in the history of the America's Cup. His well publicized efforts to win the cup, earned him a specially designed cup for "the best of all Losers" presented to him by the New York Yacht Club. He enjoyed the sport of yachting so much that he presented a series of trophies, commonly referred to as "Lipton Cups" to a variety of different clubs between 1905 and 1930, including the New York Yacht Club, San Diego Y.C., Houston Y.C., Table Bay Yacht Club among others. All of this to promote the sport of yachting and his tea brand around the world.