RACE1 KER 11.3 "CRACKER" SHOWS PACES IN CHARLESTON RACE WEEK.

With IRC developing in the USA, the Race1 Ker 11.3 Cracker has made the trip across the pond to the USA and is now owned by Hunt Lawrence from New York. The boat is run by Bill Niedringhaus, who also skippers and helms it in the racing events, and Ladi Oguntoyinbo, who also does the mast position. Hunt Lawrence’s daughter Corrie is the regular family representative on board and works hard doing the pit job.

After a moderate result in Key West Race Week when the team were still new to the boat, Cracker stopped off in Charleston for the Race Week there on the way back to the Northeast. Bill organised with Race1 for Philip Crebbin to come over from the UK to do tactics in this regatta and pass on some of his experience in racing the 11.3. This proved helpful for the Cracker team and they had a very successful regatta, coming 2nd overall in a strong PHRF A fleet that ranged from Melges 32s to a TP 52 after the Charleston organisers decided against having a separate IRC division.

The planned schedule was for 7 races over 3 days, but with a bad forecast for the last day 3 races a day were held in the first 2 days. This was a good call as the promised storm came in for the third day with winds gusting to 40kts and so all racing was cancelled. The courses were windward/ leewards with a leeward gate and conditions for the 6 races successfully held were quite light, between 6 and 12kts, but with quite lumpy seas.

On the first day the two Melges 32s proved to be the masters of the fleet in the conditions, but the Cracker team recorded two 3rds and an 8th to be in 3rd place overnight ahead of the TP52 Decision and the Farr 36 Meridian. The latter is owned and skippered by Bill (Sledd) Shelhorse whom Crebbin had been tactician for when he was 2nd overall in the strong 1D35 fleet at both Key West Race Week and the SORC in Miami in 2001. With its big masthead asymmetric the Farr 36 gives the 11.3 a little bit of time in PHRF and it was very potent in the conditions, but the ratings were close enough that whoever crossed the line ahead always corrected out ahead. A Farr 40 was also a strong competitor for both of them and improved as the racing progressed, giving very good boat for boat racing amongst the three boats, along with several larger but quite similar speed cruiser/racers.

On the second day the wind stayed lighter than forecast and not surprisingly the leading Melges 32 continued its strong performance with 2nd, 2nd and 4th to win overall. But Cracker recorded positions of 5th, 3rd and 2nd to overtake the second Melges 32 and take 2nd place overall by 2 points. If there had been some racing in more breeze, who knows what might have happened! The TP52 won the last race after a mediocre day, having already won the first race on the first day, to get back into 4th overall ahead of Meridan in 5th. Other races were won one each by the two Melges 32s on the first day and on the second day one by the Farr 40 and one by a Beneteau 47.7.

The Cracker team were rightly delighted by their result which represented a big improvement in their understanding of the 11.3 and their ability to make it perform well. Congratulations to Bill, Ladi, Corrie and all the team. The boat is now heading up to Long Island Sound for the summer.