Lipton Cup—BYC’ s Best Finish Yet

This year’s Lipton Cup was a milestone event for the Berkeley Yacht Club racing team, marking our best performance to date with an impressive 5th place overall finish.

The week began with a focused and intense coaching session on Thursday, led by legendary Olympic Finn sailor Russ Silvestri. Russ worked privately with the team for over three hours, sharpening boat handling, communication and tactics—laying the groundwork for a strong performance.

Friday saw the official start of racing, with Moni Blum at the helm and crew members Andrew Haggerty, David Janinis and Zack Parisa. The team sailed one distance race and two buoy races, maintaining consistent form to finish

6th for the day.

Saturday featured seven buoy races, double points and a new team configuration. David Janinis took over as skipper, sailing with Andrew Haggerty, Hawkeye King and Zack Parisa. The team stepped up with a standout performance, finishing 3rd—just ahead of San Francisco Yacht Club, with Richmond and St. Francis taking 1st and 2nd, respectively.

On Sunday, Paolo Calafiura skippered the final day alongside Andrew, David, and Zack. Despite challenging conditions and a tough race that ended with a 10th place finish, the team secured 5th place overall in the regatta.

The event was hosted by Richmond Yacht Club, with boats generously provided by St. Francis Yacht Club. A huge congratulations to the entire BYC team for their commitment, teamwork and record-breaking result. Well done!