Eker Süzme Crowned the first winner of the Cape 31 Gold Cup
Django Climbs to Second Place
Ahmet Eker’s“Eker Süzme” is the first winner of the Cape 31 Gold Cup following four days and ten races held in Saint-Tropez, winning by a 17-point margin in a record fleet of 28 boats.
On Saturday, October 17, 2026, the Turkish team entered the final day with a 17-point lead, but since it had already used its discard (a 21st-place finish in the 5th race), every result counted fully. After Friday’s four races, the fleet set sail again at sunrise to take advantage of a brief window of wind and complete the final two races. This final day proved challenging in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, and Eker Süzme had to dig deep to secure a 9th- and a 10th-place finish, which was enough to finish with 41 points and clinch the title.
Behind them, the final day reshaped the podium. Vittorio Lombardi Stronati’s Django, which had started the day in fourth place, climbed to second place in the overall standings with 58 points thanks to a 13th-place finish in the ninth race followed by a second-place finish in the tenth. Marcus Brennecke’s Hatari, winner of the first race on Wednesday, held on to third place with 63 points.
At the awards ceremony, Pierre Roinson, president of the SNST, thanked all the competitors, the race committee team, the City of Saint-Tropez, and the Port of Saint-Tropez—he also introduced Elliot Novara, a Saint-Tropez native and 2026 Optimist runner-up, on stage.
Speaking after the race, Ahmet Eker, owner of the Eker Süzme, said:
“It’s truly very rewarding. This was a superb race for us, and Saint-Tropez is a really lovely town. We had varied—and at times unpredictable—weather conditions, especially today. It was very difficult for us, but we managed to make a comeback and had a great time, so thank you to everyone who organized this event. It was a fantastic week with 28 boats—the event is really gaining momentum. We can see it growing, and we really appreciate it.
It’s been two years now that we’ve been sailing together without any changes to the crew, and I think that’s what makes the difference. We’ve improved with each race, and that paid off in this competition. Maintaining a stable crew and working hard every day made this competition a real success for us.
We had very consistent races almost every day, with just one poor performance, and that’s what allowed us to secure the victory. So we’re very happy. I’d like to congratulate my crew, who did an excellent job, as well as our coach, who guided us to this point.
We were watching the boats coming in—Django, Stig, and Khumbu—and it was a close race. They were very close to us, so we were a little worried during the final leg, when we were in a bad position, but we managed to make up ground somehow. “It was a very tough day today, but it ended up going really well, so we’re very happy.”
Marcus Brennecke of Hatari (3rd ) said:
“It was a great week. We had a very good race director, who, in my opinion, handled everything perfectly, and Eker Süzme are well-deserved winners. They sailed very well all week, with just one bad race, but otherwise, they showed great consistency. We ran into a few difficulties, with two early starts (OCS) on the second day, which made things a bit tricky for us, but in the end, we’re satisfied with this third-place finish. The results are very close. It’s great to have such a competitive fleet, and as always, you have to get off to a good start. It was a superb event, with great competition and excellent organization. So, what more can I say? I’m happy.”
A very close final day of competition
Stig, owned by Alessandro Rombelli, champion of the Cape 31 Mediterranean Circuit, won Race 9 to move up to fourth place, tied at 69 points with Guy Gillon’s Khumbu, which had started the day in second place but finished fifth overall after two difficult final races.
Race 9 was a real nail-biter, with Stig narrowly edging out Kalantis and the Corinthian team (1 Pro) Milkwave at the finish line. The top six were thus separated by only a handful of points heading into the final race, with Eker Süzme needing to finish better than 18th to secure the title. After finishing second in the 9th race, Kalantis finished fourth in the 10th.
Andrea Castrucci’s Chisum then won the final race of the regatta, ahead of Django and Richard Thompson’s Black Seal 2, securing a victory for the Corinthian division over the rest of the fleet.
This first-place finish capped off a remarkable record: ten different winners in ten races. The victories were shared among Hatari, Khumbu, G-Spot, Eker Süzme, Black Seal 2, Gecko d’or, Django, Kalantis, Stig, and Chisum, highlighting the fleet’s high level of competitiveness.
Black Seal 2 finished sixth overall, followed by Nikolai Burkart’s Gecko d’or in seventh place, Christian Schwoerer’s La Pericolosa in eighth, Kalantis in ninth, and Black Battalion, which rounds out the top 10.
In the Corinthian division, Motions, skippered by Lennard van Oeveren—who had been in the lead since the second day—won the first Corinthian Gold Cup with 109 points. Thanks to his victory in the final race, Chisum secured second place with 121 points, while Outrage by Sériès finished third with 146 points.
Lennard van Oeveren, owner of Motions and chairman of the Cape 31 Mediterranean Circuit Committee, said:
“It was great. It couldn’t have gone better, I think. The race committee did an excellent job organizing the races in ideal wind zones and really made the right choices. It’s incredible to sail with so many boats. Twenty boats is completely different from the 28 we had here, and the level of competition is very high. Every boat is doing an excellent job and sailing very well.”
It’s great to sail with friends here. We enjoyed the competition because there were a lot of other amateur crews this time, and I think it’s also good for the class, because it shows that it’s possible to sail in this class as an amateur crew.
It was also incredible to sail with Checco Bruni during this race. It was his first time on the boat in this fleet, so we all had to get to know each other, but thanks to his intelligence and sailing expertise, we learned a great deal.
Everything has to be perfect. It’s about having good training and the right equipment, but also about creating a good atmosphere on board and staying focused right up to the finish line, because results can vary widely. The fleet is always bunched up, sometimes a little too close to the marks, and you can easily gain five to ten places if you make the right choices.
Congratulations to the Turkish team, who won this race. They’ve sailed exceptionally well all season!
At the awards ceremony, Victoria Tomlinson Cheney, head of the Méditerranée class, said:
“What a week! A year ago, the Cape 31 Gold Cup was just an idea, and today we’re here in Saint-Tropez at the end of the very first edition. I’m so proud of what this class has become.
We had ten different winners in ten races, which shows just how close and open this fleet is.
To all of you—owners, sailors, and crews—you are the ones who make this class such an exceptional event, both on the water and ashore. So I raise my glass to the very first Cape 31 Gold Cup, and to all those that will follow!”
Victoria also thanked the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez for its exceptional hospitality, organizer Adrien Follin—without whom this event would not exist—race director Clément, and the race committee for brilliantly run races in all conditions, the referees and the jury, the measurers Andy and Adam, as well as Sailing Energy for its footage.
The final top 5: Eker Süzme, Django, Hatari, Stig, and Khumbu.
Photo: Sailing Energy
Quantum Sails, Sertinox, and Exhibit Group, partners of the Cape 31 Gold Cup,
Henri Lloyd and North Sails, ongoing supporters of the class.
Complete results – https://www.google.com/url?q=https://cms.cape31class.com/regattas/cape-31-gold-cup-2026-2026/results&source=gmail&ust=1792336747111000&sa=E
