As part of Christian Schwoerer La Pericolosa's crew, the National Yacht Club's Will Byrne has won the blustery opening event of the 2024 UK Cape 31 Class Race Circuit at the Royal Southern Yacht Club.

It was the first event in the German campaign towards the European title in Sanremo, Italy, at the end of the year.

As the reigning season champions, Shotgunn, basked in the sunnier climates of the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, and last season's runner-up, Flying Jenny, has also taken to the Caribbean waters, the composition of the fleet has undergone a notable shift, opening up new opportunities for emerging teams to make their presence felt on the leaderboard.

Byrne said La Pericolosa has 'built a solid team for the 2024 campaign', and it showed at the weekend with four wins from nine races.

Royal Cork's Antix crew from Cork Harbour came in eighth and first Corinthian in the 17-boat fleet. 

All eyes were on the National Champions, Tony Dickin's Jubilee but a lowly 13th place was an uncharacteristic start to the season for the UK's top team.

Among the highlights of this season's opener were the three new teams joining the fleet, Duncan McCarthy’s Tonto, accompanied by Lucian Stone and Jonathan Hewat’s Narwhal, and Christian Hamilton’s Khumbu Red - with two of the 2023 Circuit winning sailors on board Khumbu Red and who ended up third.

Irish yacht designer Mark Mills, based in County Wicklow, received two awards at the 2024 Asian Marine & Boating Awards in Shanghai this week.

He was named Yacht Designer of the Year, and his design, Cape 31, was awarded the title of Asian Sailing Yacht of the Year for the 30'-45' category. 

Luke Greene, representing Enterprise Ireland, collected both awards on Mills' behalf.

This is the second time Mills, a former Irish Sailor of the Year winner, has received the Designer of the Year Award, and it reflects his involvement in Asian Racing for over 20 years.

The Mark Mills designed Cape 31 competing on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

The award for Cape 31 is particularly exciting because it marks the fifth boat to be sent to Hong Kong, which ensures a solid fleet racing in Asia with the most exciting One Design Class.

The National Yacht Club's Will Byrne has swapped the bow of the Reichel-Pugh 69 Moneypenny, which he raced last month in the 2023 Sydney Hobart Race, for a Cape 31 this week at Florida's Southernmost Regatta.

The transition to the one design class appears seamless, with Byrne picking up where they left off in winning mode with the Brian Thompson skippered Black Seal crew. 

As regular Afloat readers will recall, Byrne, together with Nigel Young of Cork Harbour, raced to success last May with Thompson on his Swan 36 at the 2023 Sardinia Cup. 

The Southernmost Regatta allows sailors from all over the World to experience a little fun in the Florida sun and the new format of the event has kept the traditional regatta scene in January at Key West alive.

After two races sailed at Key West on Monday, the British entry lies second in a fleet of five but on the same three points as leader Pacific Yankee (Drew Freides).

Byrne is not the only National Yacht Club sailor at the 2023 Southernmost Regatta, with Dublin Bay Sailing Club Commodore Eddie Totterdell and wife Dara, also involved in the five-day fixture.

The National Yacht Club's Dara Totterdell (right) is part of the welcome team at the 2024 Southernmost Regatta in Florida

Ed is working as a Race Officer with Chip Till, a US National Race Officer.

The regatta is using marker bots robotic buoys.

Dara is working on regatta results, using ORC and a regatta management programme known as 'Yachtscoring'.

Full results here

Ten teams from four different nations came together for the first official Cape 31 event of the Summer in the South Series. Nine exciting races spanned three days in Table Bay.

The Royal Cape Yacht Club took the fleet for an exhilarating first day of racing in Granger Bay, where the Austrian team Stella Maris clinched victories in races 1 and 3, while the British/South African team Tokoloshe claimed race 2. Nitro, Nemesis, and TnT also had their turn on the podium—making it a fantastic day of racing in a gentle westerly breeze

Heading into the final day of the Tip of Africa Regatta, several teams had the potential to make it to the podium due to there being alot of big discards around.

Races 7,8 and 9 took place in the Milnerton race area. With race wins from Tokoloshe and Stella Maris, Tokoloshe and TnT secured the top of the podium going into the final race.

At the start of the final race, it seemed like TnT could be coming away with the win, but Tokoloshe climbed back from deeper in the fleet to secure a second-place finish and the overall victory in the first event of the Summer in the South Series. TnT took second place, and Scorpio claimed third.

The rest of the Summer in the South Series will take place in February, with charter and new boat opportunities available

Results here

Meanwhile, the Irish fleet of five Cape 31s has been reduced by one with the sale of the Dublin Bay-based 'Blast' last month. 

The Dublin Bay Cape 31 'Blast' that went on sale at the start of the sailing season has been sold.

The ultra fast one design keelboat left Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Thursday lunchtime, November 23 by road, and according to a recent social media post, the boat has been sold. 

The 2022-built Mills Cape 31 'Blast' has been on the market since May.

Priced at €300,000, Hull #35 of the new high-speed was launched last August 2022 on Dublin Bay.

Class promoters 31 North Yachting now say they have sold almost all the secondhand Capes on the market as well as 50 brand new Cape 31s.

Flying Jenny emerged as the overall champion of the Royal Southern Yacht Club's September Regatta on the Solent and secured their second overall win of the Cape 31 Race Circuit. The regatta featured various weather conditions throughout the weekend, with 20 Cape 31 teams being tested in a spectacular weekend of competitive sailing during Round Five of the Circuit.

The weekend started with sunny weather and 8-12 knots of wind from the South East on Friday. During the first race, the Dutch team, Motions, won, and Simon Perry's Jiraffe secured their maiden race win of the Circuit in the second race. Flying Jenny clinched the final race of the day. The forecast was similar on Saturday, but the expected breeze did not materialise, and the race officer decided to bring the teams ashore.

20 Cape 31 teams contested Royal Southern Yacht Club's September Regatta on the Solent Photo: Rick Tomlinson

Sunday abruptly ended British Summer, as intense winds, thunderstorms, and lightning took centre stage. The race team faced the daunting task of squeezing in three races amidst the unpredictable weather, but they managed to rise to the occasion. Despite the chaotic conditions, Nick Phillip's team on Chaotic navigated masterfully, clinching victory in races one and two, while Bertie Bicket's Fargo triumphed in the day's final race.

Nick Phillip's Chaotic finished third at Royal Southern Yacht Club's Cape 31 September Regatta on the Solent Photo: Rick Tomlinson

Sandy Askew's Flying Jenny emerged as the overall champion of the regatta, showcasing exceptional consistency throughout the competition. They were left with a remarkable scorecard of firsts and seconds by discarding an eighth-place finish. Bartholomew's Tokoloshe completed the podium in second place and Nick Phillip's Chaotic in a well-deserved third place.

Howth's Dan O'Grady's Aja was second in the Corinthian section of the Royal Southern Yacht Club's Cape 31 September Regatta on the Solent Photo: Rick Tomlinson

In the Corinthian section, Lennard van Oeveren's Motions emerged victorious, closely followed by Howth's Dan O'Grady's Aja and David Cummin's Flurg.

With the conclusion of this event, all eyes are now on the exciting finale, set to take place in a few weeks at the Royal Yacht Squadron. As the discard for the overall series comes into play, several teams are in contention for the coveted title of the 31 Race Circuit's overall winner, promising an exhilarating showdown.

Results here

Anthony O'Leary's Antix crew from Royal Cork Yacht Club maintain their lead after five races sailed at the Cape 31 Irish Nationals at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

Antix, who were the UK's top Corinthian Cape 31 crew at Royal Lymington in June, counted a win in race four followed by a third place this afternoon in the six-boat fleet that they are discarding to be two points clear going into Sunday's final races.

Howth's Dan O'Grady sailing Aja has been overtaken for second place by Mike Bartholomew's Tokoloshe who sits on eight points.

Racing was postponed for one hour on the penultimate day to allow strong winds to abate, a decision that proved correct as Dublin Bay yielded perfect summer sailing conditions in the afternoon.

The breeze was in a south-westerly direction at 15 knots, with some strong gusts and big wind shifts off the Blackrock shoreline to make for some exciting racing on the South Bull course.

The 2023 regatta, the ninth edition of Ireland's largest sailing event, concludes on Sunday with two final races for most classes and a great festival of sailing across the waterfront and Dun Laoghaire town as four sailing clubs come together for the biennial event; Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club, Royal St. George Yacht Club and National Yacht Club.

Results are provisional and subject to protest.

 The O'Leary Antix crew defending their Irish crown in style after the first day of racing in tough Dublin Bay conditions at the Cape 31 Irish Nationals at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

Antix, who were the UK's top Corinthian Cape 31 crew at Royal Lymington in June, are counting a 2,2,1 to be on five points and three points clear of Howth's Dan O'Grady sailing Aja.

Howth Yacht Club's Aja skippered by Dan O'Grady Photo: Michael Chester

Lying third in the six-boat fleet is Mike Bartholomew's Tokoloshe, the winner of the Cape 31 Class at the 2022 RORC Vice Admiral's Cup, is also on eight.

Mike Bartholomew's Tokoloshe Photo: Michael Chester

The strong southerly winds are expected to continue for Saturday's races before moderating for Sunday's conclusion of the biennial event.

The Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, National Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club, and Royal St. George Yacht Club are organising the ninth regatta.

The much-anticipated arrival of two of the world's top Cape 31s for Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta on Dublin Bay this Thursday is underway.

Shotgunn (Michael Wilson) and Tokoloshe (Mike Bartholomew) from the Isle of Man and South Africa are being unloaded by crane this morning on the town's Carlisle Pier.

The Irish National Championship is being run in conjunction with the VDLR.  Racing will run from Thursday to Sunday, with the Royal Irish Yacht Club hosting the fleet of six.

Confirmed entries include the following boats. Tokoloshe (RSA), Shotgun (Isle of Man), Katabatic (GBR), Antix (IRL), Aja (IRL) and Valkyrie (IRL).

Mike Bartholomew's Tokoloshe is craned off its road trailer at Dun Laoghaire's Carlisle Pier ahead of this week's Cape 31 National Championships run as part of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta from Thursday

As Afloat reported previously, the fleet will have a mix of professional and amateur sailors, with several Olympian and World Champions declared as crew. The only fully Corinthian crews will be Aja and Valkyrie from Howth Yacht Club.

Tokoloshe afloat on Dublin Bay as her mast is stepped at Dun Laoghaire Harbour Photo: Michael Chester

All teams have been competing in the Solent this season with fleets of more than 25 boats on the start lines. While starts are expected to be less crowded, there will be no lack of close encounters on the racetrack in Dublin Bay as punchy winds are expected to see the fleet achieve speeds over 20 knots.

Anthony O’Leary’s Antix will seek to defend his Cape 31 national title when the championship is run in conjunction with the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta this week on Dublin Bay.

Racing will run from Thursday to Sunday, but competitors have already begun to arrive at the Royal Irish Yacht Club, which is hosting the fleet of six.

Confirmed entries include the following boats. Tokoloshe (RSA), Shotgun (Isle of Man), Katabatic (GBR), Antix (IRL), Aja (IRL) and Valkyrie (IRL).

Last year, Royal Cork Yacht Club hosted the event in conjunction with Cork Week Regatta, with more travelling from the UK this year to compete in Dublin Bay.

The fleet will have a mix of professional and amateur sailors, with several Olympian and World Champions declared as crew. The only fully Corinthian crews will be Aja and Valkyrie from Howth Yacht Club.

All teams have been competing in the Solent this season with fleets of more than 25 boats on the start lines. While starts are expected to be less crowded, there will be no lack of close encounters on the racetrack in Dublin Bay as punchy winds are expected to see the fleet achieve speeds over 20 knots.