The Hobart yacht race had been held in 2017 in Sydney and Ran Tan II was the 17th to come across the finishing line. For Brian Petersen, who was on this boat, he set sail in this race on Boxing Day and he was sure to finish in three days at the time when he set sail. The team had even booked accommodation for staying in Hobart on 29th December. That was the plan for the crew of the boat that was nine in number. They were confident that they would reach Hobart in time as per the hotel check in time.
However the course was raced even faster and Ran Tan II was able to complete the course in a day in advance, being 23 hours, 34 minutes and 4 seconds before their estimated or goal time of reaching the shore. The team was understandably happy with the time they finished the race in; indeed, having reached the shores of Hobart a day ahead, the first night was spent on the boat. The crews were only Kiwis and the Ran Tan II was part of an ocean race that is often considered one of the most challenging races that is conducted from the Sydney Harbor. There had been challenged that the boat faced, especially having to compete with an 80 ft yacht with an Elliot 50 vessel that their boat was.
However, having kept up a good speed throughout, Petersen admits that the race was akin to a dream run as they were able to hit speeds that they had never done before, the breeze taking them as high as 37 knots. They were also fearsome that some problem would develop, but the boat stood in good stead throughout and hence, the race was a great one for the Ran Tan II.