The Champions Are Gathering in Saint-Tropez
The first Cape 31 Gold Cup kicks off this week in Saint-Tropez, featuring a record international fleet of 28 boats, including circuit champions, European titleholders, and Olympic medalists. Organized by the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez from October 12 to 17, this competition brings together the British and Mediterranean fleets on the same starting line for the first time.
The program began this morning with a gear inspection and the weighing of five randomly selected boats. Four days of racing will follow, from Wednesday, October 14, through Saturday, October 17, when one team will make history in the class by becoming the first to win the Gold Cup.
The number of entries breaks the previous Cape 31 record of 26 boats, set at the 2023 British National Championship in Lymington.
Circuit champions to be crowned on Tuesday
Even before the start of the first race, the podium for the 2026 Mediterranean Circuit will be announced on Tuesday during the opening cocktail reception at 6 p.m.
Stig won this circuit in five races with 10 net points. The crew started with a victory in Porto Cervo, then finished on the podium in Bonifacio and Hyères. August Schram’s Stella Maris finished second with 12 points after securing two consecutive victories in Bonifacio and Scarlino, while Christian Schwoerer’s La Pericolosa rounded out the podium with 14 points.
Champions on the Same Starting Line
The Gold Cup brings together the category’s most recent winners. Stig won the 2025 European Championship in Palma. La Pericolosa claimed the 2024 European title in Sanremo and triumphed in the Hyères final just two weeks ago. Guy Gillon’s Khumbu enters as the 2026 British national champion.
Give Me Five in familiar waters
Give Me Five, based in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and skippered by Adrien and Robin Follin, is considered a local team. The 2024 European Corinthian Champions won a race in Hyères, and it was Adrien who was the first to invite the class to Saint-Tropez.
Results from Hyères
The Turkish boat Eker Süzme capped off the Mediterranean season with a one-two finish in Hyères, propelling it to second place in the overall standings by number of wins. Race wins were claimed in turn by Chisum, Stig, Eker Süzme, Give Me Five, Django, and La Pericolosa, highlighting the high level of competition the fleet brings to Saint-Tropez.
There is also a Corinthian class (1 Pro), and the Corinthian podium at Hyères—featuring Chisum, Motions, and Outrage by Sériès—was once again in full force.
Olympic champions on rival boats
Olympic champions in Rio in 2016, Šime Fantela and Igor Marenić won Croatia’s first Olympic gold medal in sailing, in the men’s 470 class. In Saint-Tropez, they will face off on rival boats: Fantela will sail with Stig, winner of the Mediterranean Circuit, while Marenić will join Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star. Will Ryan, who won silver behind them in Rio and went on to become the 470 Olympic champion at Tokyo 2020, will sail on Marcus Brennecke’s Hatari with Nic Asher and Elliot Willis, the 2008 470 world champions.
They are part of a fleet with a remarkable Olympic track record. Zsombor Berecz, a silver medalist in the Finn class at Tokyo 2020, is part of the Black Battalion team. Argentina’s Mateo Majdalani, a silver medalist in the Nacra 17 class at Paris 2024, is racing with “La Pericolosa.” Xavier Rohart, a five-time Olympian and bronze medalist at Athens 2004, is aboard “Chocolate,” while Nicolas Charbonnier, a bronze medalist at Beijing 2008, is sailing with “Black Star.”
Motions, Lennard van Oeveren’s team, welcomes a major figure in sailing: Francesco “Checco” Bruni. A co-helmsman for Luna Rossa during the 2021 America’s Cup, a SailGP competitor, and a three-time Olympian, he will be the only professional on board, making the team a serious contender for the Corinthian Award.
Newcomers to the Mediterranean
Several competitors are joining the Mediterranean fleet. Tony Dickin’s Jubilee is making its debut there, while Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star is returning after several seasons away. Ben Pritchard’s Akheilos is also returning to the Mediterranean with Paul Campbell-James, a sailor from SailGP and the America’s Cup. Germany’s Max Augustin and his H.E.A.T. are competing in their first Cape 31 event, while Johannes Wackerhagen’s lil’Desna is returning for the first time since the 2025 European Championship.
With eight boats out of 28, Germany is the most represented nation, followed by Great Britain with five boats, then France and Italy with three each. The 212 registered crew members represent approximately 23 nationalities, a testament to the class’s international reach.
The Schedule
On Tuesday, October 13, technical inspections and sail measurements will continue, while registration will be open from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. A practice race is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., followed by the skippers’ briefing at 5:30 p.m. and the opening cocktail reception at 6:00 p.m.
From Wednesday through Saturday, the first warning signal will be given at 10:30 a.m. The schedule calls for three races per day—12 in total—in the form of fleet races conducted in accordance with Appendix UF. An awards ceremony will be held each day at the boats’ moorings after the races.
On Saturday, no warning signals will be given after 2:30 p.m. The final awards ceremony will follow at the boatside as soon as possible after the last race.
Tor Tomlinson Cheney, international secretary of the Cape 31 class and head of the MED circuit, stated:
“We’ve arrived in Saint-Tropez, and I’m very proud to see a record-breaking fleet here. Just two years ago, we launched the Mediterranean circuit with six boats, and today, 28 Cape 31s are lined up for the first Gold Cup. The atmosphere on the dock is fantastic, and we couldn’t ask for a more magnificent setting. All we need now is some wind!”
Pierre Roinson, president of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, said:
“The Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez is deeply honored to host the first edition of the Cape 31 Gold Cup in Saint-Tropez, thanks in large part to the involvement of Adrien Follin, a member of our club and a competitor on Cape 31. The weather forecast looks very favorable for this week’s races in the Bay of Saint-Tropez, with sunshine and wind! We wish everyone the best of luck at this magnificent event—may the best team win.”
Adrien Follin, organizer of the Gold Cup and owner of the “Give Me Five,” said:
“It’s truly special to see the first Cape 31 Gold Cup take shape here in Saint-Tropez. We’re proud to welcome the entire fleet and can’t wait for the races to begin. I think it’s going to be a truly exceptional week, both on the water and ashore.”
Photo credit: Sailing Energy
Thank you to Quantum Sails, Sertinox, and Exhibit Group, partners of the Cape 31 Gold Cup, as well as Henri Lloyd and North Sails for their ongoing support of the class.
Event page and official leaderboard: https://cms.cape31class.com/racing/regatta/cape-31-gold-cup-2026-2026
Full results – https://cms.cape31class.com/racing/results/regatta/cape-31-gold-cup-2026-2026
Circuit standings – https://cms.cape31class.com/racing/series/12
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