Winning four out of seven races at the Cape 31 UK National Championships, Tony Dickin's Jubilee crew lifted the trophy in style at the Royal Lymington Yacht Club on the Solent.
Royal Cork's Anthony O'Leary in Antix won the top Corinthian prize.
It was a completely different podium from the Cape 31s Round One at the RORC’s Vice Admiral’s Cup three weeks ago.
(Above and below) Tony Dickin's Jubilee crew celebrate the Cape 31 UK National Championships win at the Royal Lymington Yacht Club Photo: Ian Roman
Despite a poor opening result of 13th place in race one on Christchurch Bay, the Jubilee crew ended up on 16 points overall, giving them a two-point margin over Mike Bartholomew's Tokoloshe in second, with third-placed Flying Jenny (Sandy Askew) on 30 points in the 26-boat fleet.
Royal Cork's Anthony O'Leary in Antix won the top Corinthian at the Cape 31 UK Nationals prize Photo: Ian Roman
Royal Irish's Niall Dowling is Top Irish
As Afloat reported, five Irish boats competed with Royal Irish's Arabella (Niall Dowling) in tenth place in the biggest outing yet for the high-performance keelboat class. O'Leary's Antix from Royal Cork finished 12th. Dan O'Grady's Howth Yacht Club crew on Aja were 14th. O'Grady's clubmates Darren Wright in Adrenaline were 24th, and David Maguire's all-amateur lineup on Valkyrie, 25th.
Racing on day one of the Cape 31 Nationals at Royal Lymington Yacht Club Photo: Ian Roman
The burgeoning fleet dealt with conditions throughout the wind range in the three-day event under Race Officer Peter Saxton, opening on Friday in a perfect 15 to 20 knots before lighter races on Saturday and Sunday.
Day One brought amazing conditions in Christchurch Bay, and the teams were excited to get out there. Three action-packed races with gusts up to 22 knots made for a perfect playground for the Cape 31s. The first race of the event was taken by Nick Phillip’s Chaotic, with the next two being picked up by Jubilee. The day was won by the Bartholomew’s Tokoloshe with a fairly consistent 6, 3, 3.
Mike Bartholomew's Tokoloshe were second overall at the Cape 31 UK National Championships win at the Royal Lymington Yacht Club Photo: Ian Roman
There were some top results for Corinthian teams Motions and Bodfather on Day One. Round 1 winners Shotgunn started the day off well with a third, but a black flag in race three made the start of their regatta difficult.
Day Two was as challenging for the Race Team as it was for the competitors. There were two races, one with a moderate breeze from the southeast and one in light conditions from the south. Jubilee continued their streak with a bullet in the first race, and Gelert took the second bullet of the day. Sandy Askew’s Flying Jenny continued their consistent performance to hold onto third place going into the final day. Lance Adams' second place in the final race wasn’t enough to get him onto the podium but he was pleased to take fourth in a fleet of this size. Other notable performances came from Guy Gillon’s Khumbu, who podiumed in race five after leading race four for three legs of the race.
Flying Jenny (Sandy Askew) were third overall at the Cape 31 UK National Championships win at the Royal Lymington Yacht Club Photo: Ian Roman
It all came down to the last race for the regatta title. Jubilee were 8 points clear but needed a good race to seal the deal. With Tokoloshe taking their first bullet of the season in the last race, Jubilee sealed the National Championship by two points. Tony Dickin, owner of Jubilee, said, “Very nerve-wracking last race, Tokoloshe had a flyer leaving us to make sure we finished within 8 points of them.
We were worried off the line but it came good for us, and we got into the top 8/9 at the top mark.” Jubilee picked up the top prizes, including the Hamble Yacht Services Trophy, a painting commissioned by the Class by Sarah Hornby. Second place was claimed by Tokoloshe and third Sandy Askew's Flying Jenny.
The Corinthian prize came down to the last race, with Anthony O’Leary’s Antix coming out on top, followed by David Cummin’s Flurg and Dan O’Grady’s Aja in second and third place, respectively, with just 6 points between first and third.
The top travelling boat award was given to Christian Schwoerer’s La Pericolosa. The team from Italy and Germany put on an impressive performance considering it was the first time racing their new boat.
Results here
