CQS skipper Ludde Ingvall says his revolutionary supermaxi will be at less than 90 per cent of its full potential on Boxing Day when it starts the Sydney to Hobart.
Sick of clearing horse manure on his NSW farm, Ingvall is back in the race, with his cousin Sir Michael Hintze backing the rebuild and lengthening of his 2004 line honours-winning 90-foot boat Nicorette.
CQS was only launched last month and impressed in taking line honours in the Round White Island race in New Zealand, where she was rebuilt and more than half her crew hailed from.
Ingvall said the boat would be quick in light airs and downwind, but he had no idea just how fast it could go.
He stressed it wouldn't be capable of performing to its optimum in the Sydney-Hobart.
"The sailing process is going to take us a long time," said Ingvall, who also took Sydney-Hobart line honours in 2000 with a smaller Nicorette.
"With its various foils and things, I would say we will be hitting the start line at less than 90 per cent of what the boat can do."
Ingvall described the Hobart race as the Everest of offshore sailing and the toughest race he'd done.
He wasn't expecting to get to Hobart ahead of rival supermaxis, Wild Oats XI, Perpetual LOYAL (LOYAL) and Scallywag.
"Anything better than fourth (across the line), we're going to have a very big headache (after celebrating) the next day," Ingvall said.
"We're up against Wild Oats which, in my opinion, is the best boat in the world crewed by the best crew - they have amazing experience.
"It's a bit like going in the boxing ring against a champ and that's a challenge we love taking."
He fell out of love with the race in 2005 after the rating limit was lifted.
But his cousin's enthusiasm and backing and the innovations on his boat have revived his enthusiasm for the race.
"If it wasn't for Michael, I wouldn't be doing it," Ingvall said.
"I thought I'd retired and gone into farming but - pushing horse poo with a tractor - in the end, you get enough of it.
"We're getting such different and radical technologies that potentially will give us a look in against anything as good as Wild Oats ... that's why we're excited to come back and play again."
