22 boats representing thirteen nations AUT, FRA, GBR, GER, HUN, IOM, IRL, ITA, NED, POL, ROU, SUI, and TUR will meet in our waters from 6 to 10 November to compete in the European Championship of this young, emerging and beautiful class, the CAPE 31.
Born in South Africa by Mark Mills to navigate the waters of the Gulf of Cape Town, this boat is high-speed, light, and very technical, and, in a short time, its presence has also established itself in Italy. Among many excellent names, the Polish Kusznierewicz, multiple Olympic and world medalist, stands out, but all the teams are well organized and have top-level crews on board. The Cape 31 European Championship will feature fierce rivals from across the UK joining the Mediterranean fleets.
Here are some of the boats present:
- Give Me Five (FRA 3105) is skippered by Adrien/Robin Follin from France, a team that has won numerous Med class events this season and topped several IRC fleets.
- Shotgunn (IOM 31) the 2023 British season champions and the 2024 European season champions are in excellent form and will be in contention for the top spot.
- Terrible Joy (GBR 311X), driven by Loic Pompee, represents Monaco.
- La Pericolosa (GER 3156) is the local favorite.
- Black Star (SUI 27) Christian Zuerrer and the Swiss team look forward to the christening of their new boat.
- Stig (ITA 3176) Alessandro Rombelli brings an ambitious spirit to this Italian team, aiming for top honors.
- The Bodfather (GBR 3116X) – 2024 UK Corinthian/1 pro-National Champion Charlie Whelan looks forward to lining up against some new teams.
- And many more.
The championship will officially begin on November 6th with the opening ceremony, but the crews have already been here for a week to train and fine-tune the boats.
On Wednesday the event will begin with the Welcome Cocktail at our yacht club, while on Thursday a formal gala dinner at the Victory Morgana restaurant during which the 2024 European Season Trophy will also be awarded. On Friday an informal pasta party followed by a tasting of Aimasso wines will celebrate Italian cuisine and regional wines, crowned by an exclusive dinner for shipowners, hosted by August Schram, of Stella Maris. Saturday: another Pasta Party and on Sunday the Championship will conclude with an exciting awards ceremony, recognizing the week’s outstanding performances.