Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race 2024

News
2017
Black Jack Buzz

Black Jack Buzz

NEWS
29 Jul, 2017 09:03:00 AM

Black Jack Buzz

Originally commissioned by Neville Crichton, Reichel/Pugh’s first 100’, the canting ballast Alfa Romeo was designed in 2003 and launched for the 2005 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Alfa Romeo 100 took 2nd place to Bob Oatley’s R/P-designed line honours winner Wild Oats XI. Now back in Australia with a new name, exciting new livery and a boatload of determination, Black Jack 100 will announce its arrival at the Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race 2017.

After taking second in the Hobart race in 2005 Alfa Romeo headed to Europe to relentlessly set records, including a new Transpac Race record, before returning to Australia in 2009. Once back, Crichton’s impeccably prepared again faced a rematch with her near sister-ship Wild Oats XI—taking Hobart line honors in 2009.

After the 2009 Hobart race Alfa was sold to a European owner, renamed Esimit Europa and continued to dominate big boat racing in Europe for five years.

Now Australian, Peter Harburg has purchased the Esimit Europa to bring her home as his new Black Jack with the boat undergoing extensive alterations, completed by McConaghy Boats, Sydney, with competition the final stage ahead of December’s showdown to Hobart.

Step one will be a run out in the Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race 2017 where Black Jack will be up against her near-sister ship once again, Wild Oats XI. The potential dual will draw excitement from many but with this being Black Jack’s first outing on the water, the crew are keeping a tight lid on expectations as they step on to an almost entirely new boat for the first time, and take her racing.

For Black Jack skipper Mark Bradford, the Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast race was a significant milestone event which the team have been building towards for some time.

“Pete (Harburg) and I have been working on the Black Jack brand since 2008 and in that period we’ve worked our way up to the hundred footer. We always felt we needed a sailing team with experience and depth to get to this sort of project to a high level and even after all we’ve learned, there is still a long way to go.

“For us the Black Jack brand is about getting there first but we know that in the upcoming Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, Wild Oats will be extremely difficult to beat. So with this race, initially it’s just about learning. Learning strengths and weaknesses. To win is not the main objective.”

Time has been an enemy of the build team whose tight schedule will go right down to the wire. For Bradford however, the Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race was a perfect opportunity to start the long campaign to Hobart.

“Traditionally one of the weaknesses of our team has been making boat mods late in the year it. We wanted to be done by this race so that we can focus on sailing it rather than changing the boat. This is an issue in the sport generally and we’ve seen other big boats making changes and not having time to adjust to those changes.”