As part of Christian Schwoerer La Pericolosa's crew, the National Yacht Club's Will Byrne has won the blustery opening event of the 2024 UK Cape 31 Class Race Circuit at the Royal Southern Yacht Club.
It was the first event in the German campaign towards the European title in Sanremo, Italy, at the end of the year.
As the reigning season champions, Shotgunn, basked in the sunnier climates of the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, and last season's runner-up, Flying Jenny, has also taken to the Caribbean waters, the composition of the fleet has undergone a notable shift, opening up new opportunities for emerging teams to make their presence felt on the leaderboard.
Byrne said La Pericolosa has 'built a solid team for the 2024 campaign', and it showed at the weekend with four wins from nine races.
Royal Cork's Antix crew from Cork Harbour came in eighth and first Corinthian in the 17-boat fleet.
All eyes were on the National Champions, Tony Dickin's Jubilee but a lowly 13th place was an uncharacteristic start to the season for the UK's top team.
Among the highlights of this season's opener were the three new teams joining the fleet, Duncan McCarthy’s Tonto, accompanied by Lucian Stone and Jonathan Hewat’s Narwhal, and Christian Hamilton’s Khumbu Red - with two of the 2023 Circuit winning sailors on board Khumbu Red and who ended up third.
