'All At Sea' - October 2002. Kate Laven

Ker's designs have become increasingly evident in the seven years since he left Southampton Institute having completed 'The Course' and their popularity was highlighted when seven Ker 11.3s were selected for competition at the Rolex Commodores' Cup last month.

But there was no sign of Ker on the water at Cowes. Normally he would have taken up position quietly on one of his clients boats and had some fun but this year, he was busy tank testing a new 55ft design that recently emerged from the drawing board in the Marchwood offices of Ker Associates and should be unveiled early next year.

His boats are getting bigger. Back in 1998, he set out with the famous 9.6m Shakermaker, which immediately posted impressive results. It was followed by the equally impressive sister ships Shakermaker 2 and Quokka V, then Roaring Meg, a 10.7m version which roared like the best of them during the 2000 Commodores' Cup. Last May, he developed the 11.3 One Design for Race1 Ltd, and there followed numerous successes, including winning the Queens Cup and Rocking Chair Trophy at Cowes Week 2001. There are now nine 11.3s afloat and most are making the headlines.

I-site won Dartmouth and Torbay regattas in 2001, Kerisma won the IRM spring championship, Minnie the Moocher won Dartmouth regatta 2002 and the IRC Class 0 trophy in the St Malo Race 2002, Kung Fu Fighter, skippered by Rob Greenhalgh won the major IRC race trophy of Cowes week 2002, the New York Cup and Fair do’s V just won Class Zero in the Cherbourg Race.

The secret, according to Ker, is true high performance combined with a fair rating under both IRM and IRC rules and strong One-Design class controls, giving their owners a real chance of winning trophies under both rule systems in addition to their One-Design class racing.

"It is the kind of boat that people who want to race in the higher profile events like to own because it has high performance coupled with a pretty fair rating. It was not designed for IRC but people can compete and win in IRC if they sail the boat to its potential. It is fast both upwind and downwind and because it is so responsive, it is fun to sail." Priced at around £180,000 inc. vat, on the water, the 11.3s compare favourably with the Farr 40s at around £250,000 inc. vat, their main IRM rivals on the water. Ker is currently working on projects for 55 and 32 footers and the enquiries are coming in thick and fast, the flow boosted by the 2002 Commodores' Cup, where the top boat inshore was Natti Vee a Ker 11.3 sailing for the Commonwealth team. "It is a bonus that they did well - they were not really designed for the rule being used, but were fairly handicapped anyway," said Ker, who cut his design teeth at the Incat shipyard in Tasmania in Australia then worked for Nigel Irens where he helped to design the record breaking power boat Cable & Wireless Explorer.

"It is important for any designer to establish a pedigree and it is helpful when our boats are seen out on the water competing successfully in the big events," he said.

Ker, aged just 30, has carved out a special niche in racing boats and is pleased with the reputation he has forged in such a short time. It has been helped by the efforts of one of his clients, Hamble marketing and management company Race1 who were early to spot Ker's talent though Ker stresses they remain totally independent. Like any designer he has ambitions, which inevitably revolve around the notion of bigger and better. He was not included in the GBR Challenge design team this time round but has future aspirations in the America's Cup class. He would also like to tackle a new challenge - combining speed with comfort, implying a gradual move into custom built cruising boats, where for designers the market is steadier and less seasonal, though he intends to keep racing yacht as his main focus.

Just seven years ago, he was putting the finishing touches to his college dissertation - which unsurprisingly centred on the Whitbread 30. An especially sharp eye in performance to rating balance has served him well and with a keen ear for client tastes and needs, an exciting future looks assured.