Local yard Cape Performance Sailing is poised for more export success following successful sea trials of its new Cape 26 sports boat in False Bay.
Italian marine distributor Negrinautica has secured official European sales rights for the newly launched model.
The appointment forms part of an international commercialisation push ahead of a planned May 2027 European Race Circuit, which Negrinautica will organise in partnership with marketing agency Code Zero Digital.
The 26-foot one-design sports boat was penned by Mark Mills, the naval architect responsible for the widely successful Cape 31 project originally championed by UK philanthropist Lord Irvine Laidlaw. Initial performance evaluations by Cape Performance Sailing, North Sails Cape Town, and Negrinautica confirmed the hull met its design polars, with the project team noting strong light-air response and solid stability in heavier conditions.
Build slots at the Cape Town shipyard are currently being scheduled for export production to meet anticipated European demand.
Speaking on the model’s market potential, Cape Performance Sailing COO Davey James noted that the launch reinforces South Africa’s growing international footprint in the high-performance race yacht segment, complementing the region’s established reputation for cruising catamaran production. Negrinautica is slated to publish preliminary dates and host venues for the 2027 circuit in the coming weeks.