The Cape 26 completed her first sea trials in False Bay, Cape Town, in late June, and the initial impressions have been extremely positive.
Early feedback suggests that Mark Mills and the team at Cape Performance Sailing have created another outstanding one-design racer: fast, responsive, and exciting to sail, with the added potential to perform exceptionally well under handicap racing.
The teams from Cape Performance Sailing, North Sails Cape Town, and Negrinautica (Italy), the European sales agents, were impressed by how easily the Cape 26 achieved her design polars across a wide range of wind conditions. She proved to be well-balanced, easy to handle, and delivered excellent performance throughout the trials.
Light-air performance exceeded expectations, while in stronger breeze the Cape 26 felt remarkably stiff, powerful, and confidence-inspiring, even with the crew positioned inboard.
The first sea trials have confirmed that the Cape 26 delivers on her design brief: a modern, high-performance sports boat that is both competitive and rewarding to sail.
Negrinautica will be announcing the 2027 Cape 26 circuit shortly with dates and venues.
For more information about the Cape 26, please contact Davey at Cape Performance Sailing.
