Cape 31
glassfibre | |
| LOA | 31.36 ft (9.56 m) |
|---|---|
| LWL | 28.97 ft (8.83 m) |
| Beam | 10.17 ft (3.10 m) |
| Engine type | Yanmar 2YM 15 hp (11 kW) diesel engine with saildrive |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | Bulb keel |
| Ballast | 1,565.28 lb (710 kg) |
| Rudder(s) | Spade-type rudder |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Bermuda rig |
| I foretriangle height | 40.88 ft (12.46 m) |
| J foretriangle base | 11.81 ft (3.60 m) |
| P mainsail luff | 41.01 ft (12.50 m) |
| E mainsail foot | 14.27 ft (4.35 m) |
| Sails | |
| Sailplan | Fractional rigged sloop |
| Mainsail area | 292.61 sq ft (27.184 m2) |
| Jib/genoa area | 241.40 sq ft (22.427 m2) |
| Total sail area | 534.01 sq ft (49.611 m2) |
| Racing | |
| Rating | 1.135 (IRC) |
| ] | |
The Cape 31 is a South African
Production
The design has been built by Cape Performance Sailing in South Africa, since 2017. A total of 65 boats had been completed by April, 2023. As of 2023[update] it remains in production.[1][4]
Design
The boat was conceived by
The Cape 31 is a racing
The engineering was completed by Steve Koopman of composite engineering company SDK, with sails designed and made by North Sails, South Africa.[7][8]
The boat has a draft of 8.04 ft (2.45 m) with the standard keel and is fitted with a Japanese Yanmar 2YM diesel engine of 15 hp (11 kW) with a saildrive for docking and manoeuvring.[1]
For sailing downwind the design may be equipped with a large gennaker, flown from the bowsprit. The design has a hull speed of 7.21 kn (13.35 km/h), although it will plane at speeds in excess of 25 kn (46 km/h).[1][9]
One of the design constraints was that it was made to fit inside a standard
The boat's class rules specify that it is helmed by the owner, with a minimum crew of five sailors, with a combined weight of 1,124 lb (510 kg) minimum to 1,311 lb (595 kg) maximum. No more than three of the crew may be professional sailors. Boats are often sailed with a crew of seven or eight.[4][6]
Operational history
The boat is supported by an active class club that organizes racing events, the Cape 31 International Class Association.[10]
The first ten boats were all located in South Africa and attracted teams from other parts of the world to come and try them out.[11]
By April 2023 there were racing fleets in South Africa and Europe, with moves underway to establish it in North America as well. It was first raced in the United States at the Southernmost Regatta in
Cape 31 owner Sandra Askew stated, "They're technical boats—not hard to sail—but you do need to know what you’re doing. They definitely get up and go, so it's good to have people on board that know what they're doing. It's challenging but just really, really fun. Fast and easy to manage downwind, and it goes upwind nicely."[4]
Veteran ocean racer Dave Swete said of the design, "you can get this boat straight out of the box and go and win races. The Cape 31 won overall in Les Voiles de St Tropez last year, as well as a whole host of local events in the Solent ... We can take this boat out in 25 knots wind against tide in the Solent and have a really nice day, then come back in and the boat's in one piece, it's not full of water. We haven't been broaching out and nosediving all day, we’ve just been bow-up, doing 20 knots downwind and 7.5 knots upwind. It’s fair to say it’s a proper yacht."[12]
References
- ^ a b c d e McArthur, Bruce (2023). "Cape 31". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ McArthur, Bruce (2023). "Mark Mills". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ a b Cape Performance Sailing. "Cape 31". capeperformancesailing.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Masiello, Lucas (18 April 2023). "Extraordinary boats: Cape 31". Yachting World. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ Cape 31 Class Association (2023). "Cape 31 Class". cape31class.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Cape 31 UK (2023). "Cape 31 UK Class". cape31uk.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Mills Design Ltd (2023). "Cape 31". mills-design.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ Redmond, Pete. "The Cape 31 Is Captivating Sailors Wordlwide". North sails News. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ Cape 31 Class (2023). "Cape 31". cape31.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ McArthur, Bruce (2023). sailboatdata.com Cape 31 Class Association https://www.cape31class.com Cape 31 Class Association. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Tomlinson, Tor (25 February 2023). "Where does the Cape 31 come from?". 31northyachting.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ Rice, Andy (23 May 2022). "Extraordinary boats: Cape 31". Yachting World. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
External links
