Akheilos Storms to Victory at Royal London Yacht Club in Thrilling Cape 31 Season Opener
by Cape 31 Class 28 Apr 15:14 BST
26-27 April 2025
Cape 31 UK Season Opener at the Royal London Yacht Club © Johnathan Howe
The Cape 31 UK fleet made a spectacular return to the Solent this weekend for the first round of the 2025 Cape 31 Race Circuit, hosted by the Royal London Yacht Club. Across eight tightly contested races in tricky conditions, the competition was fierce, with just five points separating the top four boats by the end.
In an incredible story of fast-tracked success, Akheilos, owned by Ben Pritchard, stormed to overall victory. Remarkably, Pritchard had never sailed before his debut Cape 31 season in 2023 — and now, just two years later, he's standing at the top of the podium. A truly inspiring journey and a reminder of how accessible and rewarding the Cape 31 class can be.
Hot on Akheilos' heels were Katabatic (Lance Adams) and Khumbu (Guy Gillon), who completed the overall podium after three days of incredibly close racing. Meanwhile, Flying Jenny and others stayed firmly in the hunt, with multiple race winners and constant leaderboard changes showcasing the fleet's depth of talent.
Overall Podium:
1st - Akheilos (Ben Pritchard)
2nd - Katabatic (Lance Adams)
3rd - Khumbu (Guy Gillon)
In the highly competitive Corinthian/1 Professional Division, it was Toucan (Glyn, Anthony, and Alex Locke) who took top honours after a brilliant regatta, followed by Flurg (David Cummins) in second, and Narwhal (Lucian Stone and Jonathan Hewat) rounding out the podium in third.
Corinthian/1 Professional Podium:
1st - Toucan (Glyn, Anthony, and Alex Locke)
2nd - Flurg (David Cummins)
3rd - Narwhal (Lucian Stone and Jonathan Hewat)
Special thanks go to Race Officer Peter Taylor and the entire team at the Royal London Yacht Club for delivering a top-class event despite the challenging conditions. The Cape 31 Class would also like to thank its valued partners North Sails, Spinlock, and Quantum Sails for their continued support.
With the season now officially under way, anticipation is already building for Round 2, where the Cape 31 fleet will be back to battle it out once again.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Boat Name | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | 53 | Akheilos | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ‑10 | 4 | 18 |
| 2 | 49 | Katabatic | 4 | ‑5 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| 3 | 42 | Khumbu | 3 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | (RET) | 21 |
| 4 | 19 | Flying Jenny 19 | 1 | ‑6 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 23 |
| 5 | 41 | Jubilee | 5 | 4 | ‑8 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 32 |
| 6 | 45 | Bullit | RDG | 8 | 6 | 7 | ‑9 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 40.6 |
| 7 | 24 | Toucan | 8 | 2 | 5 | 8 | ‑10 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 45 |
| 8 | 34 | Flurg | 7 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 7 | ‑10 | 9 | 8 | 48 |
| 9 | 9 | Jiraffe | (RET) | DNC | DNC | DNC | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 55 |
| 10 | 30 | Narwhal | RDG | RDG | RDG | (DNC) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 57.9 |
| 11 | 48 | Squirrel | 6 | 9 | 9 | 6 | ‑11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 62 |