By Ian Grant.
Black Jack the Peter Harburg owned and Mark Bradford skippered maxi-chaser is poised to set a fast course time in the Queensland Cruising Yacht Club Surf to City Ocean race this weekend.
The impressive speed sailing yacht has set her best times when racing in moderate to fresh spinnaker sailing winds and given a forecast of 20-25 knot South East Trade winds stands to challenge the present race record of 7 hours 10 minutes 46 seconds set by the catamaran Flat Chat in 2002.
Designed by the successful American loft of John Riechel and Jim Pugh Black Jack named after World motor racing champion Sir Jack Brabham a person friend of Peter Harburg has already secured line honours wins in the Brisbane to Gladstone and Brisbane to Keppel races which has naturally delighted her popular owner.
Black Jack which was laid up on the hard stand over the past 8 months while Peter Harburg pursed his motor car racing interests in Europe will use the Surf to City race as a full ‘dress rehearsal’ for the 2012 Brisbane to Gladstone Race starting on Good Friday April 6th.
Her crew including the successful Investec Loyal Rolex Sydney Hobart Race line honours winning crew members Mark Bradford and Vaughan Prentice completed their first training session on Moreton Bay last Friday and are fully prepared to express their speed sailing skill.
“We have re-stepped the mast and are ready to go racing again”. Peter Harburg Said.
As expected Black Jack is strongly favoured to post another line honours win ahead of the match racing Farr 40’s Lambourdini (David Lambourne) and Bribie Star (Ken Down).
But her crew will face a challenge of consistently recording a boat speed in excess of 12.55 knots over the tactically demanding open ocean leg of the course from the Southport Seaway to the North East Channel entrance and the tricky final stage to the finish line off the Fisheries Beacon in Bramble Bay.
Both the principal skipper Mark Bradford and the crew have the proved potential to set a new record but the result rests with the prevailing forecast which appears promising.
There is little doubt that Black Jack will leave a white water wake for her smaller challengers to follow with interest focusing on the match racing duel between the almost identical Farr 40’s Lambourdini and Bribie Star who officials nominate as the most likely to fill the minor line honours places behind Black Jack.
Hopefully the promise of an ideal trade wind forecast will be set in place to provide the fleet with a fast spinnaker sailing breeze to set a form guide in place for the Qantas Link sponsored 308 nautical mile Brisbane to Gladstone Race over the Easter Weekend.