Cape-WT10: This is the new competition for Dragonfly, Corsair, Tricat & Co.
The man behind the new-build project is Briton Thomas Wilson. He has teamed up with the well-known multihull specialists from the Yacht Design Collective design office in Paris (François Perus/Romain Scolari) for his project and has also founded a new brand under the name White Tip Yachts. And with Cape Performance Sailing in Cape Town, Wilson has also already found a shipyard where the trimaran is now to be built. The shipyard in South Africa is best known for its fast racers for the currently booming Cape 31 one-design class.
Thomas Wilson has now published the first visualisations of his new trimaran Cape WT10. According to his specifications, the new boat must have a hull length of at least 30 feet, which is the minimum size for participation in regattas organised by the RORC (Royal Ocean Racing Club). Another requirement concerns the flexible width. As with many trimarans of this size, the side hulls of the Cape WT10 can be pulled close to the centre hull using a sophisticated mechanism. This allows the width of 8.40 metres to be reduced to 3.50 metres, which is suitable for harbours and trailers.
A quick lunch in Cherbourg and back "
The sporty sail plan provides for a powerful and rotatable rig made of carbon fibre with a diamond bracing, plus a triple forestay for genoa, staysail and code zero. The high, slim and fully battened mainsail is flared at the top and is almost rectangular in its surface area. The Cape WT10 should easily be able to reach speeds of around 30 knots in favourable conditions, says project initiator Thomas Wilson. "If you can sail this boat well, it is possible to leave the Solent for France in the morning, have lunch in Cherbourg and be back in Cowes in the evening for a pint at the RORC."
But performance is not the only focus of the concept. With its cosy interior, the Cape-WT10 is also suitable for longer trips with family or friends. The boat is equipped with two very spacious double cabins in the bow and stern. A separate wet room and a pantry module on the companionway add to the touring capability.
The prototype will soon go into construction at Cape Performance Sailing and will be available for initial testing in spring 2025. Series production will then begin. As ambitious as the project is, the price tag is ultimately just as impressive: the sporty trimaran is set to cost 425,000 euros. That is 505,750 euros gross including 19% VAT.
Technical data Cape-WT10
- Designer: Yacht Design Collective
- Torso length: 10,00 m
- Width: 8,40 m
- Width with retracted floats: 3,50 m
- Draughts: 0.4 m (min.) / 1.80 m (max.)
- Weight ready to sail: 2,1 t
- Mast height above waterline: 14,6 m
- Mainsail: 42,0 m2
- Genoa: 29,0 m2
- Staysail: 14,4 m2
- Gennaker: 94,5 m2
- Code Zero: 42,5 m2
- Motorisation: Outboard or built-in machine optional
- Internet: www.whitetipyachts.com
