There will be no Irish entry in this weekend's 2025 UK Cape 31 National Championships on the Solent, but at least ten Irish amateurs and professionals will be racing on three boats in the 14-boat fleet.
Royal Cork pro Nigel Young of North Sails will sail on Black Seal, as will Jack Young. Nigel comes to the event directly from the UK IRC Nationals, where he competed in IRC 4 on Stuart Cranston's Purple Haze.
Michael Wilson's Isle of Man ShotGunn boasts a full Irish crew from the Howth Valkyrie amateur campaign, including David Maguire, Trudy O'Hare, Andrew Smith, Mark Hasset, Dan O'Grady, Nathan Van Steenberge, Gary Cullen, and Seafra Guilfoyle. Maguire will be racing this weekend as part of his preparation for the NYYC Invitational Cup later this year.
Irish pro Niall Malone will sail on Ben Ward and Anthony Wheatley's Swift Half.
The one-design championships kick off this weekend (Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd June) at the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes. Defending champions Flying Jenny return to defend their 2024 title.
Guy Gillon’s Khumbu, third at last year’s Nationals, will be looking to move up two places and secure the win.
Strong performances are anticipated from Akheilos, the current season leaders and Round 1 winners, as well as Jiraffe, who rebounded from a challenging Round 1 crash to win Round 2 and currently sits third overall. Joining the UK Nationals for the first time are Toucan, Black Seal, and Swift Half – all experienced teams injecting fresh energy into the starting lineup.
Race officer Peter Saxton will manage racing.
Read the full entry and crew lists here
