Brisbane to Gladstone race - Black Jack to defend trophy

by Ian Grant on 3 Mar 2010 Peter Harburg’s super fast 19m sloop Black Jack has been entered to defend her Brisbane to Gladstone race line honours trophy over the Easter weekend.

Her official entry lodged with Race Director Herb Prendergast on Tuesday by skipper Mark Bradford confirms the challenge by the Black Jack crew to win back to back first to finish trophies and join an elite group of yachts including Alvis (1953-54) Solo (1958-59) and the Rupert Murdock skippered Ilina (1964-65) Bobsled (1992-93) Grundig (2001-2) and Ichi Ban (2007-8).

This power sailing yacht also has the potential to chase the 20 hour 24 minute 50 second record set in 2004 by the Grant Wharington skippered 30m super maxi Skandia Wild Thing.

To achieve this Black Jack will need strong to fresh and frightening spinnaker sailing south-east winds to blow over her deck to produce an average speed slightly above 15.08 knots and cross the finish line before 7-24-50 on Easter Saturday morning to claim a record breaking result.

Her recent win in the Tracer-Trak Surf to City race suggests the super fast Black Jack has the potential to lower the record.

Black Jack despite being slowed by light to moderate winds which rarely gusted above 15 knots completed the 90nautical mile course in 9 hours 52 minutes 36 seconds.

However while this was an impressive result the Black Jack crew will need some real ‘grunt’ in the breeze to complete the 308 n/ml race to Gladstone with a new race record.

But she remains as a short price favourite to win back to back line honours against another high standard fleet including the Hamilton Island based and former Norwegian Volvo Globe race yacht Spirit of The Maid.

Owner skipper Bruce Absolon who will proudly race under the Hamilton Island Yacht Club burgee has named his Gladstone Race challenger in honour of the dual Sydney Hobart race champion Ausmaid which was dramatically wrecked on the ocean beach of Noosa north shore after being dismasted in gale conditions near Double Island Point during her delivery voyage to contest the 2009 blue water classic.