Yo! crew on steep curve

by Rob Kothe on 22 May 2005 Dubai-based British sailor Toby O’Connell is preparing for his first regatta as the new owner of the Pacific 50, Yo!

Previous owner, Peter Ahern, has sailed Yo! into third place on the Asian Yachting Grand Prix circuit for the 2004-05 season.

Yo! has a chance to take the overall season title, because the first and second placed boats are not competing in the final regatta.

Hi Fidelity was campaigned by Neil Pryde until the end of the Singapore Straits Regatta, securing 11 points with a second behind Grant Wharington’s super maxi Skandia in the China Coast Regatta, followed by wins in the Raja Muda Regatta, the King’s Cup in Phuket and the Singapore Straits Regatta.

The Nick Burns/Fred Kinmonth-owned Mandrake holds ten points, with a second in the Raja Muda, a third in the Kings Cup, second's in the Singapore Straits and the San Fernando Race and a win at the President’s Cup.

Ahern had placed Yo! third overall with eight points, securing a win in the Asean Regatta, a second in the Kings Cup and a win at the Royal Langkawi International.

O’Connell, 28, is a director of Prime Projects, a Dubai-based property company, with interests in Samui. While at university in the UK, he sailed extensively in major European regattas and in offshore races with friends Richard Merriweather, Nigel King, Simon Abley, Alan Hickman, Nick Hutton and Mark Ingram.

There is strong experience in this group. Merriweather went on to sail as a skipper in the 1992-93 and 1996/97 British Steel Round the World races, while Nigel King sailed aboard Newscorp in the 2002-2003 Volvo Round the World Race and will go again in the 2005-2006 race. He is currently a RYA National Keelboat Programme Manager.

Also in the line up is Pedro Goncalves, from Elvstrom sails adding to the load of experience in the group, but there is also another side to this team.

Prime Projects International CEO Neil Helliwell and three staff members, none of whom have ever been on a sailing boat before, make up the balance of the crew.

As Toby O’Connell comments, ‘none of us, have sailed on Yo! until today. Six of us sailed together some years ago, but not recently, and the other four are on a big learning curve. It’s going to be a fun week!

‘This is a strong field we are racing against, so it will be amazing if we manage to pull off a win, but one thing we already know is we are going to have a lot of fun.’