The Cape 31 class achieved a historic quintuple in Britain’s largest regatta, the 199th edition of Cowes Week.
Over the course of the week, the one design class from Wicklow-based Mark Mills enjoyed their own mini-series, others won their IRC class overall, and two boats took home all three of the event’s largest and most historic trophies.
Most significant was Wednesday’s (6 August) race for the Britannia Cup, presented in 1951 by King George VI for the biggest boats in the event.
Sandy Askew’s Flying Jenny beat 23 of the highest rated IRC yachts competing in IRC Classes 1 and 2 and the Cape 31 class to lift this historic trophy and have her name listed on the wall of the Royal Yacht Squadron, perhaps the first female owner/driver to do so.
Thursday’s racing was for the New York Yacht Club Challenge Cup, presented by the New York Yacht Club in 1951 on the 100th Anniversary of the beginning of the America’s Cup. This was won by Julian Metherill’s Bullitt, followed by six more Capes before the TP52 Gladiator could break the run.
This was a repeat of their win earlier in the week for the Queen’s Cup ahead of seven other Capes, for a clean sweep of the prestigious big boat trophies on offer by the smallest boats in the fleet.
Meanwhile, two Capes chose to race the whole week in IRC Class 1, and were rewarded with first and second. Russell Peters and David Bartholomew on Tokoloshe 4 posted a straight bullet scoreline after their discard, followed by Bertie Bicket’s Fargo in second.
This record of wins in its IRC Class, its own one-design class and all three of the standalone trophies for big boats at Cowes may never be repeated.
