Anthony Paterson’s Race1 Ker 11.3 Tow Truck, the former El Gringo, and then Voodoo Doll when it went to the Channel Islands, had its first major race outing at its new home in Australia in the highly competitive Class 3 of the 2008 Sydney to Hobart race. This class includes the Sydney 38s and Farr 40s amongst other top racing boats in the local scene, but the 11.3 showed that it had lost none of its edge when in the hands of a good racing team by comfortably winning the class, both line honours and corrected time. Paterson and his team were more than 4 hours corrected time ahead of the leading Farr 40, AFR Midnight Rambler, which finished 2nd in Class 3.

Before the race, Anthony Paterson said, “Our goal is to finish in front of Ed Psaltis and Bob Thomas’s Farr 40 AFR Midnight Rambler. They are very good sailors, have a very good team and a very good boat. To get a divisional win would be a great achievement and if the Storm Bay/Derwent weather suits … it would be great.” So his aims were both achieved in handsome style.

Tow Truck arrived in Australia in September and after stripping and preparing the boat the crew did not have much time to sail her before the race, as navigator tactician Brett Filby explains. ‘Since we put her back in the water we’ve only done the Hobart qualifying race to Cabbage Tree Island and back. It was a ‘work’ all the way to Cabbage Tree and then we turned around and so did the breeze, we ‘worked’ all the way home. We didn’t really have a chance to try all our chutes out in anything above 15 knots of breeze.’

Knowing that the 11.3 is a downwind flyer if sailed well in a strong breeze, they were looking forward to the Hobart race as strong downwind conditions were forecast at least for the early part. Despite their lack of practice in the boat in those conditions, they were soon able to master it and showed exactly what the 11.3 is capable of doing. Because of light conditions during the last part of the race for the smaller boats, the larger, faster boats won overall, but Tow Truck came a very creditable 22nd overall, immediately behind line honours winner Wild Oats XI.

Anthony Paterson commented afterwards, “I have had many people now asking about the 11.3. I would not be surprised to see another one in Australia soon !!!” - Many congratulations to Anthony Paterson and his successful crew.

For more information, contact Race1 on 07005 388599 or e-mail u2canrace1@aol.com

For more information about the build-up to the 11.3's debut performance on the Sydney to Hobart, click link below to read the full introduction, by Rob Kothe @ sail-world.com.