The fledgling Irish Cape 31 class goes centre stage this July when it makes its high-profile debut at Ireland's biggest sailing event, Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta on Dublin Bay.
According to class social media, the class is gearing up for an 'awesome' Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta to be followed by the Irish National Championships on the Irish capital's waters.
As regular Afloat readers will recall, Royal Cork's Anthony O'Leary and his Antix crew secured the inaugural Cape 31 Irish title at last year's Volvo Cork Week Regatta. The Antix crew are already in top form for this year's defence, having won the first Cape 31 Regatta in the USA in January, which also earned O'Leary an Irish Sailor of the Month award.
Irish Cape 31 champions, Royal Cork's Anthony O'Leary and his Antix crew at speed as captured by photographer Paul Wyeth
Come July, the new Irish keelboat class will have competed at Wave 2022, Cork Week 2022, the UK Nationals 2022, this winter in Florida and VDLR 2023.
Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is reporting its first international Cape 31 entry for the regatta with another RCYC entry slated, but this time it is not from Cork Harbour, but Royal Cape Yacht Club in South Africa as Mike Bartholomew's Tokoloshe crew signal their intention to contest the July 6th big event.
Also entered in an anticipated ten-boat VDLR fleet is Howth's David Maguire in Valkyrie.
