Runners and Riders - 31 Race Circuit Round 5 Preview
Cape 31 Round 5 at the Royal Thames Yacht Club Invitational Regatta.
This weekend, 16th-18th September, the Cape 31 fleet is back out in force for Round Five of the 31 Race Circuit at the Royal Thames Yacht Club Invitational Regatta. Following an action packed Cowes Week with round the cans style courses the fleet is raring to go with eight windward leeward races planned over the three days.
Newest team on the block is Dutch team MOTIONS, Lennard van Oeveren. Lennard and team are no strangers to one design racing, they have a few big wins under their belts including the Swan 45 World Championships in 2020.
Cork Week and Irish National Champions, Antix, owned by Ant O'Leary have arrived back in the UK after missing Cowes Week for some home regattas. Joining the Irish contingent are Howth Yacht Club’s Adrenaline, Darren Wright who joined the fleet during Cowes Week and Valkyrie, David Maguire and Aja, Dan O’Grady for their first UK events on their new boats.
Teams to look out for are Tony Dickin’s Jubilee and Lance Adams’ Katabatic sitting fourth and third respectively on the 31 Race Circuit leaderboard. Jubilee are the only team to have had the exact same seven crew on board for every regatta so far this season. They are strong and consistent on windward leeward courses and will be looking to achieve a podium finish in the Race Circuit over the next two events. Katabatic is just one point ahead after an impressive third place result at Cowes Week. Consistency was key at Cowes Week and will be going forward as the fleet continues to grow.
The top new boats for 2022 at Cowes Week competing this weekend were Niall Dowling’s Arabella and Charlie Whelan’s The Bodfather. Expect to see these guys in the mix over the weekend.
Finally with Russell Peter’s Squirt and Mike Bartholomew’s Tokoloshe constantly battling it out at the top of the leaderboard. Round 5 could be a decider for the Race Circuit’s overall prize. With Irvine Laidlaw’s newly commissioned Cape 31 Trophy ready to be picked up by the team who come out on top!
It’s going to be an action packed weekend - stay tuned on facebook and instagram for the latest. Results will be available here. https://theclubspot.com/regatta/oZWoixiVBh
