Ned Collier Wakefield

Eleven seconds ahead of Soldini after 600 nautical miles in the Caribbean

In February 2023, Ned Collier Wakefield completed the RORC Caribbean 600 on the MOD70 Zoulou in 30 hours 55 minutes and crossed the line 11 seconds ahead of the Multi70 Maserati skippered by Giovanni Soldini. For a 600-nautical-mile course around eleven islands, the gap is negligible — and tells you everything you need to know about the helmsman. British, born in the mid-1980s, Collier Wakefield moved from Class40 to MOD70 around 2018 and established himself as one of the most experienced skippers in the 70-foot trimaran circuit.

The Concise years in Class40

He made a name for himself from 2009 with Tony Lawson’s British team Concise. Class40 World Championship in Hamble the same year, Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland 2010 with a class record, RORC Caribbean 600 2011 leading the Class40 fleet, Normandy Channel Race 2012 double-handed with Sam Goodchild. Six seasons on the Anglo-Saxon Class40 circuit, from which he emerged with a solid technical foundation on 40-foot monohulls before switching to multihulls.

The original Fastnet record on PowerPlay

Summer 2021, aboard the MOD70 PowerPlay skippered by Peter Cunningham, he completed the 595-nautical-mile original Fastnet course (Cowes-Fastnet-Plymouth) in 25 hours 04 minutes 18 seconds. That’s nearly 3 hours under the previous record held by the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild since 2019. Three years earlier, he had already won the 2018 RORC Transatlantic Race in MOCRA class on the same PowerPlay.

Zoulou, Erik Maris’ program

Since 2022, he has been the skipper and helmsman of the MOD70 Zoulou, a 21.2 m trimaran designed by VPLP purchased by Erik Maris. Skysat handles the boat’s electronic and electrical setup: NKE instrumentation, Starlink, foil rake sensors, and alternator.

Achievements

• 2009 — Class40 World Championship in Hamble: 1st on Concise
• 2010 — Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland: 1st in Class40 on Concise II, class record
• 2010 — Gijón Class40 World Championship: 3rd on Concise II
• 2011 — RORC Caribbean 600: 1st in Class40 on Concise 2
• 2012 — Normandy Channel Race: 1st on Concise II with Sam Goodchild
• 2014 — Round the Island Race: 1st in Class40 on Concise 8
• 2018 — RORC Transatlantic Race: 1st in MOCRA on PowerPlay (owner Peter Cunningham)
• 2021 — Record for the original Fastnet course (595 nm, Cowes-Fastnet-Plymouth) in 25 hours 04 minutes 18 seconds on PowerPlay, nearly 3 hours under the 2019 record of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild
• 2023 — RORC Caribbean 600: 1st overall in multihull on Zoulou, 11 seconds ahead of the Multi70 Maserati skippered by Giovanni Soldini after 30 hours 55 minutes of racing