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BWYC Places 2nd and Wins its First Lipton Cup Race in 1957
From left, Race 1 Crew; CC McDonald, Jr.; Race 1 Skipper Jack Gordon and Race 1 Crew Leo Seal, Jr. at Mobile Yacht Club on Labor Day Weekend 1957.
“BWYC Didn't win the Super Bowl in 1957; its 8th year of Lipton competition, but its team did cross the first race finish line on top of the 14-boat fleet at Mobile Yacht Club.
Sailed by skipper Jack Gordon, center, and crew C.C. McDonald and Leo Seal, Fish Boat #15 finished ahead of the fleet at every mark. This was the first Lipton race won by a BWYC team, the Club having finished near midfleet only twice in 7 previous tries and actually finishing last just 2 years prior to this event.
The Club finished 2nd overall in the series, beating the likes of archrivals Southern, Pensacola, St. Andrews Bay and Biloxi yacht Clubs. In the next 13 years, that’s 52 Lipton races, the Club was to win only one more Lipton race.
While our heroes have remained extremely proud of the above photographic record of their unprecedented accomplishments against all odds, other (perhaps jealous) BWYC sailors contended that the photo mainly served the purpose of keeping flies off their walls!
Jack’s crewmembers modestly called attention to the difference in size between jack’s trophy and their (ample) awards, contending that the regatta committee knew what they were doing.” (From March 2010 Jib Sheet)
Thanks to Harry Chapman


Bay Waveland Yacht Club Lipton-Cup-2nd-place-first-win-1957
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