SOLAS Big Boat Challenge Video
by Bow Caddy Media 15 Dec 2017 00:41 PST
12 December 2017
Black Jack, the R/P100 during the SOLAS Big Boat Challenge © Bow Caddy Meddia
On a summer's day when Sydney Harbour showed off its emerald waters at their sparkling best, a small but competitive fleet of four yachts engaged in an intense arm wrestle that lasted little more than an hour for the annual SOLAS Big Boat Challenge.
In a battle of cut and thrust between the two super maxis at the front of the race it was Peter Harburg's Black Jack that eventually won out, crossing the line some 43 seconds ahead of her near twin, the Oatley family's Wild Oats XI.
Wild Oats XI's little sister Wild Oats X took out the overall handicap win, but it was Gavin Brady the sailing master of the fourth yacht in the fleet, Karl Kwok's Botin 80 Beau Geste, that captured the essence of this event and just why it is more than a one-off spectacle, 'There's nowhere else in the world you will ever see a group of maxis like this sailing in a confined environment. Racing in Sydney Harbour puts a lot of pressure on a team and I believe it's a big contributor to success in the Hobart.'
The Bow Caddy media team took to the water and the air to paint a picture of the energy, action and pressure of this remarkable event that Brady persuasively alludes to.