Champions Converge on Saint-Tropez as a Record Fleet Gathers for the First Cape 31 Gold Cup
by Tor Tomlinson Cheney 12 Oct 18:35 BST
12-17 October 2026
Cape 31 'La Pericolosa' in Hyeres © Sailing Energy
The first Cape 31 Gold Cup gets under way in Saint-Tropez this week, with a record 28-boat international fleet packed with circuit champions, European title holders and Olympic medallists. Hosted by Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez from 12-17 October, the event brings the UK and Mediterranean fleets together on one start line for the first time.
The programme began this morning with equipment inspection and the weighing of five randomly selected boats. Four days of racing follow from Wednesday 14 to Saturday 17 October, when one team will make class history as the first name on the Gold Cup.
The entry beats the previous Cape 31 record of 26 boats, set at the 2023 UK National Championship in Lymington.
Circuit champions crowned on Tuesday
Before a single race is sailed, the 2026 Mediterranean Circuit podium will be crowned at Tuesday's opening aperitif at 18:00.
Stig won the five-round circuit on 10 points net. They opened with victory in Porto Cervo and then stayed on the podium in Bonifacio and Hyères. August Schram's Stella Maris finished second on 12 points after going back-to-back in Bonifacio and Scarlino, and Christian Schwoerer's La Pericolosa completed the podium on 14 points.
Champions on one start line
The Gold Cup brings together the class's recent title holders. Stig won the 2025 European Championship in Palma. La Pericolosa won the 2024 European title in Sanremo and took the Hyères finale just two weeks ago. Guy Gillon's Khumbu arrive as 2026 UK National Champions.
Home waters for Give Me Five
Saint-Tropez's own Give Me Five, sailed by Adrien and Robin Follin, are the home team. The 2024 Corinthian European Champions took a race win in Hyères, and it was Adrien who first invited the class to Saint-Tropez.
Form from Hyères
Turkey's Eker Süzme signed off the Mediterranean season with a double bullet in Hyères, which lifted them to second overall on countback. Race victories there were shared by Chisum, Stig, Eker Süzme, Give Me Five, Django and La Pericolosa, underlining the depth of competition the fleet brings to Saint-Tropez.
There is also a Corinthian (1 Pro) prize, and the Hyères Corinthian podium of Chisum, Motions and Outrage by Sériès is entered once again.
Olympic champions on rival boats
Rio 2016 Olympic champions Šime Fantela and Igor Marenic, who won Croatia's first ever Olympic sailing gold in the men's 470, will line up on rival boats in Saint-Tropez. Fantela races with Mediterranean Circuit champions Stig, while Marenic joins Christian Zuerrer's Black Star. Will Ryan, who took silver behind the Croatians in Rio and then 470 gold at Tokyo 2020, sails with Marcus Brennecke's Hatari, alongside Nic Asher and Elliot Willis, the British pair who won the 2008 470 World Championship.
They are part of a fleet with a remarkable Olympic pedigree. Zsombor Berecz, Finn silver medallist at Tokyo 2020, is with Black Battalion. Argentina's Mateo Majdalani, Nacra 17 silver medallist at Paris 2024, races with La Pericolosa. Xavier Rohart, a five-time Olympian and Athens 2004 bronze medallist, is on Chocolate, and Beijing 2008 bronze medallist Nicolas Charbonnier sails with Black Star.
Lennard van Oeveren's Motions have recruited one of the biggest names in the sport. Francesco 'Checco' Bruni, who co-helmed Luna Rossa at the 2021 America's Cup and has raced in SailGP and at three Olympic Games, is the team's only professional, which makes them a serious contender for the Corinthian prize.
New faces in the Mediterranean
Several teams arrive from the UK fleet. Tony Dickin's Jubilee make their first Mediterranean appearance, Christian Zuerrer's Black Star return after racing in the Mediterranean in previous seasons, and Ben Pritchard's Akheilos return to Mediterranean waters with SailGP and America's Cup sailor Paul Campbell-James on board. Germany's Max Augustin and H.E.A.T make their Cape 31 debut, while Johannes Wackerhagen's lil'Desna are back for the first time since the 2025 European Championship.
Germany is the largest nation in the fleet, with eight of the 28 boats, ahead of Great Britain with five and France and Italy with three each. The 212 declared crew represent around 23 nationalities, underlining how far the class has travelled.
The programme
Equipment inspection and sail measurement continue on Tuesday 13 October, alongside registration from 09:00 to 12:00 and a practice race at 13:30. The skippers' briefing follows at 17:30, then the opening aperitif at 18:00.
From Wednesday to Saturday, the first warning signal is at 10:30 each day. The Sailing Instructions schedule three races a day and 12 races in total, sailed as umpired fleet racing under Appendix UF. There is a daily prize-giving at the boats after racing.
On Saturday, no warning signal will be made after 14:30. The final prize-giving follows by the boats as soon as possible after the last race.
From the Class Secretary
Tor Tomlinson Cheney, International Cape 31 Class Secretary & MED Circuit Manager, said:
"We've arrived in Saint-Tropez and I'm so proud to see a record fleet here. Just two years ago we started the Mediterranean Circuit with six boats, and now 28 Cape 31s are lining up for the first Gold Cup. The atmosphere on the dock is fantastic, and we couldn't ask for a more beautiful setting. All we need now is wind!"
Pierre Roinson, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, said:
"The Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez is very honoured to host the first edition of the Cape 31 Gold Cup in Saint-Tropez, thanks in particular to the involvement of Adrien Follin, member of our Club and a Cape 31 competitor. The weather forecast looks very favourable for the regattas this week in the Bay of Saint-Tropez, with sunshine and wind! We wish everyone every success in this magnificent event - may the best team win."
Adrien Follin, Gold Cup organiser and owner of Give Me Five, said:
"It's really special to see the first Cape 31 Gold Cup coming together here in Saint-Tropez. We're proud to have the whole fleet here and we're looking forward to getting racing. I think it will be a really special week, both on and off the water."
Follow the action
Photography: Sailing Energy
Thank you to Quantum Sails, Sertinox and Exhibit Group, partners of the Cape 31 Gold Cup, and to Henri-Lloyd and North Sails for their continued support of the class.