Admirals Cup Champion chases second ‘Boss Hog’ title

by Ian Grant on 9 Jun 2004 Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club skipper Colin O’Neil has made a positive bid to win his second ‘Boss Hog’ trophy in the 2004 International Hog’s Breath Race Week at Airlie Beach in August.

Skipper O’Neil combining with the skill of his sailing master Steve Mc Conaghy piloted the power sailing Aftershock to an impressive trophy win in 2002.

Last year Colin O’Neil sacrificed the defence of his title to team up with long term sailing rival Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats crew to represent Australia at the Admirals Cup in England.

Both skippers supported by the wealth of talented sailors from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club including Olympic Star Class helmsman Colin Beashel and Americas Cup sailor Mark Richards triumphed on the tricky English waters to win the prestigious Admirals Cup.

This popular result combined with recent high tech keel modifications to Aftershock has set the performance ‘benchmark’ for the 2004 Hog’s Breath Race Week which has attracted another high performance fleet including the Australian IRC champion Matt Allen’s Ichi Ban and dual Sydney Hobart winner Lou Abrahams in Another Challenge.

Size, power and performance allows Aftershock to stand alone as the favourite to win her second ‘Boss Hog Trophy’ as the star performer of the regatta while the popular Victorian skipper Lou Abrahams is expected to retain his undefeated record of major championship wins in the Sydney 38 One Design class.

Abrahams and his Sandringham Yacht Club crew including the highly skilled young helmsman Carl Schmidt have won two Hog’s Breath Australian championships on Pioneer Bay and will defend their 2003 Asia Pacific trophy win against another impressive fleet.

Former French Kiss Americas Cup sailor Pierre Gal winner winner of the 2003 Sports yacht title with Vivace is among the nominated favourites to win the Hog’s Breath Sports / Trailer yacht class Australian championship.

Vivace a super fast sports yacht co-designed by Pierre Gal and Julian Bethwaite was unmatched for speed winning her class trophy by a comfortable margin.

However skipper Gal and the Vivace crew will need to repeat this performance to ward off a challenge from the consistent fleet of Blazer 23 class yachts including the James Ingle skippered Mackay Yacht Club sloop Sensation.

Ingle previously raced Sensation in the IRC class fleet against Australia’s best yachts will relish the chance to test his proven tactical skill in a high standard fleet which will include former Australian title medalist Neil Sherring’s Blazer 23 Urgent from the Gold Coast.

Sherring winner of the silver medal in the recent Go To Blazers championship on the Southport Broadwater heads an impressive Gold Coast challenge including his older sister Pam at the tiller of Bundy Express.

Pam Sherring has already ‘fired up’ the family rivalry by letting her brother know she is not going to Airlie Beach to improve her sun tan.

‘I have a score to settle by finishing ahead of Urgent in the Hog’s Breath Australian championship’.

For more news on the Hogs Breath Race Week 2004 www.hogsbreathraceweek.com.au