On a beautiful, sunny early morning of Oct. 3, the Riverton Yacht Club bustled with activity as sailors carried supplies, prepared their sailboats and looked forward to competing in the 2026 Philadelphia Cup Regatta.
“This is a big day. We have 27 boats from Riverton of the 61 boats registered for the Regatta,” said Commodore Lynn Mills of Riverton, who teaches Kindergarten at Charles Street School in Palmyra.
Hosted annually by the Riverton Yacht Club, the Corinthian Yacht Club of Philadelphia and the Liberty Sailing Club, the course on the Delaware River runs north from Center City to Petty Island and then south beyond the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.
It is Philadelphia’s only sailing regatta that delivers competitive racing with the city skyline as a backdrop, and it is open to J27, J22, Lightning, Flying Scot, Mariner, V15, Laser, Thistle, Corinthian Sloop, and Sunfish classes, plus PHRF boats.
“We always look forward to welcoming sailors from across the tri-state area to race in the heart of Philadelphia, where the Delaware River and city skyline create a dynamic venue that’s every bit as exciting for spectators along the waterfront,” said Laura Ness, regatta director. “New this year, the Awards Ceremony added a patriotic-themed reception celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.”
“It was a wonderful day to be out on the water. We had beautiful fall weather, and the wind was better than expected, which made for some great sailing and exciting competition,” said Mills, who along with fellow sailor Dan Walsh aboard ‘Double Trouble’ won first place in the Mariner Division.
“The current was also very strong,” Mills said. “We’re accustomed to sailing in a strong current at Riverton, but it was even stronger down in Philadelphia, so adjusting to that added another challenge to the racing.”
She said the Riverton Yacht Club was very well represented and won the Mariner, J/22 and Flying Scot classes, and also placed in PHRF and Lasers.
Riverton’s results included:
In the J/22 class, Ryan Lippincott finished first aboard ‘Jawn’ with crew Tod Wence and Billy Martin, Mills said. Another Riverton boat, ‘Mad Dog,’ finished second, skippered by Alex Kearney with crew Janel Martin and Allen Carl.
In the Flying Scot class, “Riverton swept the top three places,” Mills said. Joseph Pelosi finished first; Art Littleton and crew Laura Ness, who organized the entire event, finished second; and skipper Mike Levey finished third.
In the PHRF boats competition, George Bader finished second aboard ‘Knight Errant,’ Glenn Smyth finished third aboard ‘Shadowfax,’ and Rob Seidelmann finished fourth aboard ‘Sin Bin,’ Mills said. “Shadowfax and Sin Bin were tied with 11 points, with Shadowfax winning the tiebreaker by earning a first-place finish. That close result shows just how competitive the racing was.”
Kent Steinriede finished second in the Laser competition, representing Riverton, and Mills and Walsh finished first in the Mariner division.
“Dan and I were thrilled to win the Mariner class. We finished second in the first race and first in the next two races. It was especially rewarding to be part of such a strong showing for Riverton,” said Mills, adding that there is a sense of camaraderie among the sailors from the different yacht clubs.
“Everyone enjoys the competition, but the friendships, teamwork, and shared love of sailing are a big part of what makes this event special,” Mills said. “For Riverton, that teamwork included members helping tow boats to Philadelphia and back so others could participate. I’m very proud of our sailors and grateful to Laura Ness, the race committee, and all the volunteers who made the day possible.”
The Riverton Yacht club was founded on July 1, 1865, in the home of Edward H. Ogden at 503 Bank Avenue and Caspar W. Morris was named the first commodore. It is the oldest yacht club in both New Jersey and along the Delaware River and includes members from Riverton, Cinnaminson, Delran, Palmyra throughout South Jersey.
Since 1865 members have won many local, national and international sailing competitions, and on a beautiful Autumn day Oct. 3, they added a few more awards to the trophy case thanks to hard work and skilled sailing.
