McConaghy built Ker 40 punches above its weight

After thirty Sydney-Hobart races, Ed Psaltis has a clear understanding of what he wants from a performance racing yacht. It needs to be fast, strong and light, simple to sail and to be able to perform well through the range of conditions inshore and offshore. Most importantly the boat must have the ability to win races on IRC and ORCi handicap - which is why he chose the McConaghy built Ker 40 to be the new AFR Midnight Rambler.

"We have done seven Hobart's on the old Farr 40 and we just can't sail her any faster. At this stage we aren't close to reaching the Ker 40's maximum boat speed - so it has completely reversed the game."

“In the Farr 40, we would basically hope to hang onto our rivals upwind while we waited for the wind to swing around and really get us going. Now we can compete upwind as well."

With the Ker 40's spectacular upwind and offwind performance already demonstrated in Europe - beating bigger boats on the water and demolishing the entire class 40 fleet in the 2011 Rolex Fastnet race, despite starting an hour behind them - the boat is set to dominate the 40-45 foot inshore and offshore fleets internationally, with eleven boats have now been sold to owners in the USA, Japan, New Zealand, UK, Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong.

The first Ker 40 in Australia AFR Midnight Rambler dominated on its first competitive outing, winning the Lion Island race in September - then in November the Cabbage Tree Island race overall on ORCi before taking out the Lion Island-Botany Bay race overall on IRC and ORCi. It is this sort of performance that has Ed and his crew excited about the race south on Boxing day - and having hit 24.6 knots boat speed during the Cabbage Tree race, the crew onboard AFR Midnight Rambler are all sure of one thing - that the boat can go faster than any of its rivals and will soon top thirty knots boat speed.

McConaghy Managing Director Mark Evans summed up the lightning-fast 40 footer. "This boat is something special. Jason Ker spent a lot of time working with us on this design and people are telling us it is the most outstanding 40 footer out there - punching well above its size on the water and for its rating. Right from launch date it has performed. When hull #1 Keronimo was launched in England six months ago it beat sixty five boats to win IRC-1A in the 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race - plus finished 16th on IRC against a quality fleet of two hundred and seventy yachts."

To perform so well in a gruelling Fastnet race confirms the design and build quality of the boat. "Yacht owners want fast, light and well-built boats that win races - and that is what McConaghy does. It has been a remarkable twelve months for the company, with nine McConaghy 38's sold worldwide and now eleven Ker 40's racing internationally - wherever these boats are raced, no question they are going to demolish their competition and be at the front of the fleet."

Blue Robinson



www.mcconaghyboats.com