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Born in Glasgow in 1850, Sir Thomas Lipton was best known for the tea that bears his name and for his indomitable spirit in attempting to win the America s Cup in his famous Shamrock .
Some of the things you may not know about the man perhaps deserve being mentioned since this regatta bears his name.
As a boy, he was a cabin boy in the merchant fleet, worked in a New England grocery store, drove a mule-drawn streetcar in New Orleans, traveled for a portrait firm, labored on tobacco plantations in South Carolina and Virginia and, while still in his teens, returned to Scotland to open his own grocery store.
He was an innovator in publicity stunts for advertising, once having a parade of pigs dressed in kilts to advertise his Scottish bacon and occasionally hiding soveriegns in his cheese and tea bags to spur sales. This flair for merchandising ted him to be a millionaire by the age of twenty-one.
Yachts were his passion and he built and owned several; the most famous, of course were the five Shamrocks he built to challenge for the America's Cup. They made unsuccessful attempts in 1899 - 1902, 1903 - 1920 and 1930, with the "Shamrock / V" coming the closest to winning when it competed with Cornelius Vanderbilt s Resolute in 1920.
Though Sir Thomas never emerged victorious in the American Cup challenge, he gained the admiration and respect on both sides of the Atlantic for the sportsmanship he demonstrated in his losing efforts. This was best demonstrated by the fact that following the 1930 event, a Lipton Loving Cup Fund was established and in 1930 Will Rogers presented an 18-carat gold cup to Sir Thomas on behalf of the
American people for this good sportsmanship............the same year the
Royal Yacht Club of England conferred membership on Lipton in recognition of what he had done for yachting in his various American Cup challenges.
Those of us who have been participants or spectators in this Labor Day weekend Lipton Regatta over the years, are, likewise, indebted to Sir Thomas for having made yachting more meaningful to the yacht dubs of the Gulf Yachting Association thru his presentation of the Lipton Challenge Trophy. And may we suggest, that sometime before the regattas end, each of you "hoist one" in the memory of Sir Thomas the man whose trophy we sail for this weekend.
SIR THOMAS JOHNSTONE LIPTON
Photo Court**y Th« Encyclopedia of Sailing