The Smyth family have been well in the frame in cruiser-racing in Ireland and abroad for many years, but Pete Smyth's move into the still-competitive 2010 Ker 46 Searcher has made them extra-distinctive as "The Men In Black In The Boat That's Ultra-Black". Even the liferaft canisters towards the stern in the new-bought boat are now black, in a complete re-styling that has removed any sign of the her previous life. And as it was a previous life that was taking place very successfully until recently, it has been a major exercise in international logistics to retrieve Searcher from Marseille, get her completely-restyled, assemble and train up the crew, and then go out and take second overall, first IRC 1, and first Irish in the SSE Renewables Round Ireland 2024 from Wicklow.
Searcher gets cleanly away in early stage of the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race. Apart from the deck tself, everything else in the re-styled 2010 boat is black, including the Liferaft Canisters. Photo: Afloat.ie
