Please select your home edition
Edition
X-Yachts X4.0

New Black Jack to be christened at Rivergate Marina

by Lisa Ratcliff on 11 Jul 2013
Rolex Sydney to Hobart Andrea Francolini Photography http://www.afrancolini.com/
Peter Harburg’s Black Jack stable will be unleashed with a christening and Australian sailing debut, this Saturday morning.

The Volvo 70, which contested the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race as Telefonica,was shipped from Europe to Australia in March. Due to an unexpected delay the 70-footer went straight from the container ship to the shed for modifications.

This left Black Jack’s crew a tight window of just five weeks to strip the old livery, rebrand the boat and complete sail handling modifications to make it more user-friendly inshore. Other performance enhancing modifications were also carried out, the details of which are being closely guarded.

Saturday’s guest of honour will be the boat’s namesake and patron, three-time Formula One world champion, Sir Jack Brabham, who was dubbed ‘Black Jack’ in the 1950s by his peers for his ruthless approach on the track and swarthy features.

Following the 9.30am christening and traditional spilling of champagne on the new boat at Rivergate Marina on the Brisbane River, the crew will finally have their first opportunity to take the 70-footer for a spin before it leaves Queensland waters next week to embark on its maiden Australian summer campaign. First stop is Sydney Harbour for the Audi Sydney Gold Coast yacht race starting July 27th, followed by the Brisbane to Keppel race.

The previous Black Jack, a Reichel Pugh 66, delivered a string of handicap successes to Harburg, a Brisbane property developer and race car collector and driver, and skipper Mark Bradford from North Sails. Following the Rolex Sydney Hobart last December, Harburg’s racing background got the better of him and he’s since raised the stakes with a boat that has much greater line honours potential.

An impressive big boat line-up is looming for this year’s Sydney Hobart and the Black Jack crew figure they will be nudging the front of the fleet minus the supermaxi price tag.

Harburg’s boats have always come in under the 70 foot cap to reduce the need for custom parts and make coordinating people to work on and campaign the boat at the highest level more manageable.

'Saturday’s christening of the 70-foot Black Jack and launch of our summer season is a great opportunity for Queensland. We believe it’s a first for the state on this scale and at this level of yachting,' said Bradford.

'The Hobart race is our main goal; there’s never really been the sort of calibre at the top end we are expecting this year with potentially six line honours contenders, including three Volvo 70s,' he added.

The new canting-keel Black Jack will carry the core race crew from the 66-footer with the addition of specialist Volvo 70 sailors Ryan Godfrey and Anthony ‘Nocka’ Nossiter. The full race crew will be 15 strong.

Tasmanian naval architect Alex Nolan, who has been with the Volvo 70 since its creation, has been working full time with boat captain Stacey Jackson to prepare Black Jack for its Australian debut this weekend.
MarkSetBotSydney International On-Water Boat Show 2025Selden 2020 - FOOTER

Related Articles

52 Super Series Porto Cervo practice race
The loss of the last 'dress rehearsal' is something of a disappointment Although there was just enough breeze to execute a couple of meaningful practice starts, the breeze dropped away and thereafter proved insufficient to allow the planned two short official practice races to be sailed today off Porto Cervo.
Posted today at 4:42 pm
Materials That Make the Difference
Discover the performance fabrics behind the Henri-Lloyd AW25 collection Discover the performance fabrics behind our AW25 collection. This season, Henri-Lloyd has focused on advanced, responsibly sourced materials designed to thrive in demanding coastal conditions.
Posted today at 11:00 am
Teams are go for 2025 Six Metre World Championship
29 boats registered and ready to race Registration is now complete and 29 teams from ten nations are ready to race for the 2025 Six Metre World Championships at the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club on Long Island Sound.
Posted today at 9:06 am
2025 Dutch Water Week overall
From experiment to future The Dutch Water Week concluded today with the pilot finals of the Sailing Grand Slam (SGS).
Posted today at 7:49 am
RORC Transatlantic Race 2026 preview
3000 miles, one epic challenge The RORC Transatlantic Race in association with the International Maxi Association and Yacht Club de France will start from Marina Lanzarote on 11th January 2026.
Posted today at 7:32 am
Aussies take it on in Geneva
Flying Roos back on top of SailGP season leaderboard after tough racing in Geneva The BONDS Flying Roos have reclaimed their lead in the 2025 Season standings after securing a hard-fought podium finish in “street fight” conditions at the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in Geneva.
Posted today at 12:14 am
And so, it begins…
Grand Final not run yet, but our Hobart coverage begins with something very cool Maybe a tad earlier than last year, which I think was after the Grand Final, but the 100th entrant seemed like a good place to set things off. Now with that said, Sail-World's Hobart coverage begins.
Posted on 21 Sep
ILCA Announcement
Protecting the one-design integrity of the class ILCA's mission is to protect the integrity of strict one-design sailing—the principle that ensures every sailor competes on equal terms. This principle, enshrined in the ILCA Fundamental Rule, has been the foundation of our class's success.
Posted on 21 Sep
The Ocean Race Europe 2025: The summer of racing
Biotherm delivered a masterclass - Paprec Arkéa a lesson in consistency This Saturday, after a fiercely contested final race, the second edition of The Ocean Race Europe came to a close. It was a seven-week adventure from Germany to Montenegro, full of twists and turns, resilience, and raw emotion.
Posted on 21 Sep
Tornado Open, Mixed and Youth Europeans overall
Czech team dominated the event No more races were possible on the final day of the championship due to lack of wind, leaving the overall tally at five races sailed.
Posted on 21 Sep