There are few more thrilling sights in sport than extreme speeds, especially when it includes catamarans battling it out on the water – and at Thomas Lyte, we believe our SailGP Trophy reflects the excitement generated by an event that looks set to have favourable wind in its state-of-the-art sails for years to come.
As designers and suppliers of elite sports trophies the world over, Thomas Lyte, a Royal Warrant holder as silversmiths and goldsmiths to Her Majesty the Queen, have hand-crafted some of sports’ greatest and most prestigious prizes. The Sail Grand Prix Championship Trophy, which was handed to the winners of the event for the first time in 2019, is an extension of that proud tradition.
After working closely with SailGP on a trophy that needed to mirror the spectacle and prowess of both the boats involved, the F50 Catamarans, and the athletes sailing them, Thomas Lyte’s team of globally renowned in-house trophy designers, created a vision that achieved that ambition.
Our creative team and craftsmen took inspiration from the power of the wind and the thrilling boat speeds that result in this exciting new sport, whereby winds of up to 30mph and boats travelling at speeds double that come into force. We put forward 35 concepts in the initial stages and after a painstaking process, the look of the eventual trophy began to take shape as initial ideas began to evolve.
Hand-crafted by our specialist team of Master Craftsmen in Thomas Lyte’s London workshop, the trophy was spun from 12.5kgs of sterling silver and sits at an impressive 65cms in height. Using a mix of crafting methods dating back to Roman times while also utilising modern methods in production, the trophy was meticulously planned and then crafted, with the distinctive V-shape of the trophy coming to life over a year-long design and manufacturing process.
One of our master craftsmen has described it as a ‘deconstructed trophy’ given the amount of movement it appears to represent. Building the trophy up in layers cut out from a single cone of sterling silver, the trophy came together, with the final result a stunning piece of silverware that will stand the test of time – an iconic trophy for the sailing community, but also one which bears comparison with any other in sport.
With every nation sailing the same F50 boat and with technical information shared between teams to ensure complete transparency, this a competition that takes place on a level playing field, albeit one made-up entirely of water.
Six international teams compete in five events across the globe for the first SailGP season. The competition attracted a global TV audience of almost two billion people, with the final showdown in Marseille seeing Australia become the first team to lift the new trophy.
In addition to making the SailGP Trophy, Thomas Lyte is proud to have designed and hand-crafted for various trophy and medal commissions related to the sport of sailing, including the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs Trophy, the Artemis Challenge Trophy, and a medal program for both SailGP and World Sailing.
Our team make the conceivable possible, while preserving traditional skills, pioneering modern methods, and promoting authentic British craft across the globe. Combining the latest technologies with centuries of knowledge, Thomas Lyte’s silver workshops in London, England house world-class facilities for an elite team of designers and makers, masters of their craft. Learn about 3D printing, electroforming and other new technologies that our team have introduced to our sustainable handcrafting process.
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Materials. Sterling Silver + 24 Carat Gold Plate
Workshop Processes. Cleaning, Filing, Sanding, Chasing, Polishing, Plating And Engraving
Thomas Lyte are proud to be the designers and makers of the SailGP Championship Trophy.
Take a glance at these fast facts about one of the most talked about trophies in sailing.
