ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY PRESS - FRIDAY 26TH JANUARY, 2001.

VISION OF SUCCESS AS YACHT ORDERS SAIL IN.
- Mary McBride

A new design of fast racing yacht to be built on the Island will mean at least nine new jobs at Vision Yacht’s Somerton works near Cowes. So far eight of the Race1 Ker 11.3 yachts - which will sell for around £149,000 each - have been ordered and the company which commissioned the yachts, Race1 at Hamble, expects it to become a regular production boat.

Vision Yachts is run by Jonathan Howe and Chris Symons. They built last year’s Cowes Week winner, the John Corby-designed Gloves Off, and have been picked to build the new yachts because of expertise in high-performance yachts.

“Although the Ker 11.3 is a production boat coming out of a mould, it will still be top-class racing boat with all the details optimised”, said Race1 director Philip Crebbin, a successful yacht racer and former Admiral’s Cup skipper. “It is critical to get the details just right, totally different from building cruiser racers. I don't think a regular production builder would be able to build this boat.”

Designed by Jason Ker, of Marchwood, the 38ft Ker 11.3 is based on Commodores’ Cup boat Roaring Meg, one of the first yachts to be designed and built under the RORC’s new IRM measurement rule which aims to produce a new breed of pure racing yachts. Although Roaring Meg twice lost her mast and rig last summer - once on her way back from Cork Week and once during a Commodores’ Cup race - she made a big impression for the way she out paced some of the biggest and fastest yachts in the event.

“Roaring Meg is a 35-footer but she showed she was as fast as the Farr 40’s and Sydney 40’s. In the first four races of the Commodores Cup she won three and came second once,” said Race1 manager Jonny Falkner.

Her speedy performance has inspired top Solent yacht racers to place orders for the new Ker 11.3, including Chris Bull who recently came second overall, in a chartered Nelson Marek 46, in the Sydney-Hobart Race and Fastnet winner Robbie Cameron-Davis. All eight yachts ordered have been sold and four are due to be launched in time for this year’s Hoya Round-the-Island Race on June16.