The Cape 31 Class was racing on the national championship windward-leeward course off Roches Point today on the second day of Volvo Cork Week.
You could feel the tension as the high-performance fleet approached the line for the first race.
Several boats returned to restart after the X-Ray flagged announced that boats were over the line. Dave McGuire's Valkyrie took a penalty turn before the first top mark. Anthony O'Leary’s Antix from the Royal Cork YC held their nerve to win the first race of the day.
Dave McGuire's Cape 31 Valkyrie from Howth Photo: Rick Tomlinson
In the second race, Dan O'Grady’s Aja was the winner to lead the Volvo Cork Week Series on countback from Antix. Michael Wilson’s Shotgun from the Isle Of Man YC is third for the series.
Three Irish Cape 31s from left Valkyrie, Antix and Adrenaline Photo Rick Tomlinson
The O’Leary family has been part of the history of Cork Week for three generations, racing at every edition of Cork Week since 1978. Anthony O’Leary’s Antix is new to the Cape 31 Class but Anthony has tasted victory at Volvo Cork Week many times in the past.
Cape 31s (from left) Adrenaline, Antix and Shotgun Photo Rick Tomlinson
“It is great to be racing back at Cork Week, which we haven’t had for quite a while; not racing in 2020 was a huge disappointment” commented Anthony O’Leary. “To have all of the competitors from Cork, Ireland and from overseas is just superb. To have six Cape 31s here is fantastic, and we would have had double that if we had the trailers. The standard is great in the Cape 31 Class and to have 44 1720s here is also just fantastic. You know, the 1720s were a small class when they appeared in 1996 and many of those 1720 sportsboat pioneers are now racing Cape 31. The drivers maybe a bit older, but we have young people on the crews! I am sure everyone is looking forwards to a glorious week of racing!”
