maxi yacht black jack

• Yachting World
• Digital Edition

Black Jack 100: On board the light airs supermaxi chasing Sydney Hobart glory

• November 26, 2019

Black Jack 100, originally Alfa Romeo, is a Reichel Pugh design that was launched in 2003 and famously and repeatedly duelled with Wild Oats XI for Sydney Hobart line honours. After several years racing in Europe, the iconic 100-footer has been rebooted and has her sights on the Hobart trophy once more. Crosbie Lorimer reports

“I always told Peter you never want to buy a 100-footer and eventually he ignored me. But now we’re all pretty happy that we’re here!”

The words of Mark Bradford, the easy-going skipper of the recently reminted Black Jack 100 (previously Esimit Europa 2 and originally Neville Crichton’s Alfa Romeo ), say something of the trust that underpins the ten-year relationship he has enjoyed with Peter Harburg, owner of a number of yachts carrying the Black Jack name.

The last big jump the Black Jack team made, from Harburg’s original Reichel Pugh 66 to a Volvo 70, was much less significant in terms of resources and expertise required than the leap to a 100-footer has been. The principal difference – costs aside – lies with the size and experience of a team required to crew a winning supermaxi.

More winches can be powered using latest tech hydraulics. Photo: Crosbie Lorimer

In that respect Bradford’s original reservations were not without grounds: “We used to sail those boats with 10-13 crew and we built a very strong team, but now we’ve got a crew of 20 and it’s a different scale of exercise altogether.”

One factor that has gone a long way to addressing that challenge is the calibre of the team that Harburg and Bradford have drawn together to complement the core of Black Jack regulars. The Volvo Ocean Race , America’s Cup and Olympic luminaries aboard Black Jack 100 include Tom Slingsby, Tom Addis and Chris Nicholson.

For any Australian supermaxi owner – and indeed for a good number of international owners – winning line honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is the Mount Everest of yachting ambitions. In 2017 there are potentially five supermaxis vying for that honour, including Black Jack 100 ’s sistership and multiple Hobart winner Wild Oats XI , and Jim Clark’s powerful Comanche .

Article continues below…

Revolver: Bruce Ritchie’s gentleman’s racer blends traditional and modern craftsmanship

“I wasn’t expecting this,” said Michael Ritchie when his 83-year-old father Bruce showed him the lines he had drawn up…

Video: Comanche – Matthew Sheahan gets aboard the world’s fastest monohull

Setting the start line ends in your chart plotter two days before the race may seem a little over eager,…

Over recent years the supermaxi arms race to secure the John Illingworth Trophy for first boat to cross the line off Hobart’s Battery Point has focused on powerful rigs and displacement-cheating foils to make the most of the rugged conditions for which this tough ocean classic is renowned.

Surprisingly, however, the average windspeed for this race is only 11 knots, reflecting the often lengthy light air transitions that typically follow southerly fronts, not to mention the capricious Derwent River’s dreaded night-time closedown, and leaving a potential loophole for Harburg’s new boat.

Black Jack 100 is two tonnes lighter than Wild Oats XI – shallower in draught, too, by some 700mm. That offers Harburg’s team an opportunity to exploit those light air punctuations in the 630 miles that lie between Sydney and Hobart, without having to make the costly hull and foil modifications that have seen Wild Oats XI dubbed the ‘Swiss Army knife’ in her quest to stay competitive with her more modern rivals.

Tom Slingsby is clearly impressed with this approach: “ Wild Oats is trying to match  Comanche a bit more in the breeze and it’s left a pretty big opening for the light air performer. That’s where these guys have optimised, and it’s a good move,” said Slingsby during Audi Hamilton Island Race Week in August 2017.

Weight loss

In her former guise as Alfa Romeo , Black Jack 100 won line honours in Hobart in 2009, but much has changed in the years since.

“We essentially bought a boat with a tungsten bulb, a two-year-old mast and a good hull – everything else was near enough original,” said project manager Alex Nolan. He describes the core objectives of the upgrade: “The big thing has been reducing weight and simplifying systems to be more user-friendly.”

The forward lifting rudder control panel can be accessed by the traveller trimmer or by another crew member on the rail. Note the emergency stop button under the instrument panel on the steering pedestal. Photo: Crosbie Lorimer

The weight loss strategy has been extensive with a total rewiring of the boat, including distributing the previously centralised hydraulics manifolds to a series of outlying hubs, reducing metres of wiring and hose, helping to shed several hundred kilos of weight in the process.

“We’ve added five sailing hydraulic rams and powered three more winches and overall we are still lighter in the hydraulics package,” said Nolan.

Replacing the original removable bowsprit with a fixed sprit has also saved weight in the bow by reducing the amount of structure required, a change that went hand in glove with moving the forestay forward and increasing the J measurement for bigger headsails.

The pit winches, which were originally top handled, are now powered and the tack lines are held with hydraulic rams located in a false cavity in the coachroof, freeing up winches. The same cavity holds the topmast deflector lines and jib sheet inhaul/outhaul lines. Photo: Crosbie Lorimer

Against the wind

The most significant change, however, has been the rebuilding of the forward rudder to integrate a lifting mode for downwind sailing. The Wild Oats XI team replaced their original forward rudder with a centreboard and added lifting daggerboards, but for Black Jack 100 the need to capitalise on upwind conditions made the complexity and expense of this lifting rudder an obvious investment.

With barely more than a couple of training sessions under her keel, Black Jack 100 showed immediate form on her first outing in the Land Rover Sydney to Gold Coast Race, remaining within close sight of old rival Wild Oats XI for the entire two days of the mostly light wind 380-mile race.

That promising form continued into Audi Hamilton Island Race Week with Black Jack 100 only losing out to the Oatley family’s all-conquering silver machine when heavier breezes closed out the last two days of the regatta at the end of August.

The instrument readouts on the central mainsheet winch console only display information on tack loads and positions. All sailing-related readouts are shown on instruments on the mast or at the helm. Photo: Crosbie Lorimer

Not only does Black Jack 100 ’s early form suggest that she will give her rivals a run for their money in the race to Hobart. Her crew are not lacking in motivation either – the late Sir Jack Brabham, the legendary Formula One racing driver after whom the boat is named, inscribed three words on a bulkhead of his friend Peter Harburg’s previous boat. It simply read: “Get after them!”

Specification

LOA: 30.5 m (100ft) Beam: 5.2 m (17ft) Draught: 5.1 m (16.7ft) Displacement: 26.5 tonnes (58,423lbs) Mainsail area: 360 m 2 (3,875 sq ft) Downwind sail area: 1,126 m 2 (12,120 sq ft) Upwind sail area: 593 m 2 (6,383 sq ft) IRC rating: 1.917

First published in the January 2018 edition of Yachting World.

Sydney to Hobart yacht race line honours go to Black Jack in crawling overnight finish

Supermaxi Black Jack has taken out line honours in the 2021 Sydney to Hobart yacht race, in an incident-packed event. 

Key points:

• It was the slowest line honours win since 2004, finishing in 2 days, 12 hours, and 37 minutes
• Comanche still holds the line honours record, set in 2017, with 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, 24 seconds
• Dozens of yachts were forced to retire early in the race due to bad conditions

The Mark Bradford-skippered, Monaco-flagged yacht crossed the line after 2 days, 12 hours, and 37 minutes, arriving just after 1:30am AEDT.

It was the slowest line honours time since 2004.

Black Jack held and extended its lead over LawConnect and SHK Scallywag in the final hours of racing but up until then it was a three-way tussle.

Bradford said he and yacht owner Peter Harburg had been working on the win for 14 years.

"We'll both be in tears at any time," Harburg said.

"It is very, very emotional … for me it's the first time I've been involved in the winning team. Mark has done it before but it's very special.

"We came to win, we can win the race. So yeah, we gave it everything."

Bradford said the first 30 hours of the race were "tough" but he knew straight away that they would have a good race.

"Pretty much after the start gun went, we had a pretty good feeling," he said.

"It's a long race and we had a tough race.

"We had a couple of minor things went wrong but this is a professional sailing team and this is a well-prepared boat."

Bradford said getting through the first night was a combination of good luck, good management and a good boat.

"These are really complicated boats and it's hard to keep on the water … the preparation, the time that we put into this project really shines through in those conditions," he said. 

The skipper spent the first 20 hours below deck.

"I just had internal problems, mostly my stomach was coming out of my mouth," he said. 

"Maybe it's in my DNA. But yeah, certainly I'll put it down to the conditions today."

He praised the efforts of rivals.

"With both the other boats, we dropped Scallywag near the end for a bit but she came back and then LawConnect was right there the whole way.

"They [LawConnect] led us for a bit, then we clawed it back at the end."

LawConnect finished less than three hours later with a time of 2 days, 15 hours and 11 minutes.

SHK Scallywag crossed third with 2 days, 15 hours and 30 minutes.

LawConnect hit by computer woes 

LawConnect skipper Ty Oxley said the team faced issues apart from the tough first night conditions.

"The first night was pretty tough we had a few issues, but we got through it," he said.

"We actually didn't know where we were because our computer got wet so we did the majority of the race not knowing whether we were in the lead or not."

One crew member who is not a professional sailor was able to help with the computer problems.

"One of them is an IT genius he works in the IT team, so when our computer went down we were able to reconfigure some networks and get back online," he said.

"Second day it got pretty light [wind], and it's pretty tough in this old girl, so against some of the lighter boats … but it is what it is.

"We got through but it was pretty tough the last 24 hours."

Oxley is now taking the boat straight back to Sydney.

"My goal is to be back in Sydney by New Year's Eve as we have a function on the boat … makes me crazy or stupid, I don't know which one," he laughed.

'Never give up'

Skipper of third-placed Scallywag, David Witt, said the crew was disappointed after a tough race but were happy to make it to Hobart at all.

"The crew did an amazing job, we probably don't deserve to have a 100-footer here in the condition the boat ended up in the first night so it was a credit to the team that the boat got here," he said.

"We broke the J2 tack coming out of the harbour, and then we broke it again. The two times cost us about 20 miles.

"Then we lost all electronics and then we sailed three quarters of the race with no instruments at all on a 100 footer so that's a pretty difficult thing to do. 

"The boat was fast enough this time but we just couldn't keep it together.

"Scallywags never give up and to win you first have to finish, so we finished, we just didn't win."

Witt said coronavirus had affected the preparations for the Hong Kong team and on a personal level he and his wife had almost died from COVID this year after catching the disease while stuck in the Philippines for 10 months.

Dozens of teams retire

The race fleet took a battering on the first day , with dozens of teams forced to retire due to sail and rigging damage, with one crew member injured on the New South Wales yacht Zen.

Day two saw further carnage , with yachts limping back to ports on the New South Wales coast.

One skipper who pulled into Eden said he was gutted after hitting "something hard" in the water and damaging the hull.

As of this morning, 36 yachts had retired, the largest number since 2015 when 25 of 84 starting yachts failed to finish.

COVID has also played havoc after forcing the cancellation of last year's race and constant testing of competitors this year.

"COVID has been a real feature of this whole campaign for everyone and I think it's great that the CYCA [Cruising Yacht Club of Australia] could get this race away," winning skipper Mark Bradford said.

"We're probably the most COVID-tested people in yachting. We've been going hard for a month now."

The battle for line honours had become a battle between Black Jack, LawConnect and SHK Scallywag, with the three supermaxis making it through difficult conditions before entering Bass Strait.

The line honours victory is well behind the record set by Comanche in 2017 (1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, 24 seconds).

Black Jack previously claimed line honours in the Bluewater Classic in 2009 under the name Alfa Romeo.

It finished fifth in the last Sydney to Hobart in 2019 and was second to Wild Oats XI by just 28 minutes in the 2018 thriller.

Black Jack navigator Alex Nolan told media early on Tuesday that the crew had decided to sail outside the rhumb line, the line on the course representing the shortest distance, and were "pushing it hard".

The focus now shifts to the overall winner — the Tattersall Cup — a handicap prize determined by a number of factors including the size and weight of the competing craft.

• X (formerly Twitter)

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Black Jack claims Sydney to Hobart victory in slowest race since 2004

This year’s fleet was decimated by rough seas, with 36 of the 88-strong starting field forced to retire

Black Jack has overcome a rocky preparation and rugged seas to take out line honours with the slowest Sydney to Hobart victory time in 17 years.

The Monaco-registered, 100-foot supermaxi crossed the River Derwent finish line in darkness at 1.37am AEDT on Wednesday.

Its time of two days, 12 hours, 37 minutes and 17 seconds was the slowest since Nicorette III’s win in 2004.

Black Jack had been locked in a tight three-way tussle down Tasmania’s east coast with LawConnect, which finished second trailing by about two-and-a-half hours, and third-placed SHK Scallywag 100.

This year’s fleet was decimated by rough seas on Sunday and Monday, with 36 of the 88-strong starting field forced to retire.

“It was tough in the beginning. The first 30 hours were pretty rugged,” Black Jack skipper Mark Bradford said.

“We had a tough race with both the other (supermaxis). We dropped Scallywag at the end for a bit but she came back and LawConnect was right there the whole way.”

Black Jack previously claimed line honours in the 628 nautical mile bluewater classic in 2009 under the name Alfa Romeo.

It finished fifth in the most recent Sydney to Hobart in 2019 and was second to Wild Oats XI by just 28 minutes in a 2018 thriller.

Owner Peter Harburg for the first time did not race with Black Jack but was at Constitution Dock in Hobart to greet his team after riding them home.

“It is very emotional. It is the grand prize of yachting in Australia. For me it’s the first time I’ve been involved in a winning team,” he said.

“I don’t know whether I want to cry or laugh or give Mark another hug. I can’t describe it.”

Black Jack missed a chance to compete against LawConnect and SHK Scallywag 100 in the inaugural Australian maxi championship earlier this month because a crew member tested positive for Covid-19.

Their program had already suffered a setback when the boat’s mast broke in the Brisbane-Gladstone race in April.

“We started with a 66-footer as Black Jack and we’ve worked up to this,” Harburg said.

“We’ve won every race on the east coast of Australia and we’ve beaten every other yacht on the east coast of Australia at different times.

“But this is the prize that has eluded us all along.”

Bradford said Black Jack only suffered minor breakages in a race where many smaller competitors have reported hull damage and other serious issues.

• Sydney to Hobart yacht race

Most viewed

Super maxi Black Jack leads battered Sydney-Hobart fleet

SYDNEY (AP) — Super maxi Black Jack was leading a much-reduced Sydney to Hobart race fleet on Monday after strong winds and high seas forced almost a quarter of the boats to retire.

The storm forced 21 of the original 88 starters out of the race, and the other 67 were hoping for less taxing conditions after being battered by heavy southerlies through the latter part of Sunday.

While the three super maxis remained in the race, the big list of casualties included the TP52 Gweilo, which was considered one of the main contenders to win overall honors.

Monaco’s Black Jack continued to lead in the battle for line honors. She was ahead of rival super maxis LawConnect and SHK Scallywag 100,

The size of Black Jack’s lead was hard to confirm as LawConnect had issues with reporting the boat’s exact position.

Scallywag was the first out of Sydney Heads on Sunday to take the early lead. The Hong Kong boat is skippered by Australian David Witt.

Last year’s race was canceled the week before it was due to start because of coronavirus-related quarantine issues, but the 2021 edition is proceeding with mass virus-testing protocols in place. Skippers have been told boats must immediately retire from the race if a crew member receives a message from health authorities saying they have tested positive for COVID-19.

“With the co-operation of the Tasmanian government, we’ve been able to get these boats away and we are very appreciative of that,” said Cruising Yacht Club of Australia commodore Noel Cornish. “So people can go as long as they’ve had their test. They can get sailing and get their result on the way down.”

The 628 nautical-mile race (1,170 kilometers, or about 720 miles) sails from Sydney down the south coast of New South Wales state and across Bass Strait to Hobart, the capital of the island state of Tasmania.

In 2017, Comanche set the race record after finishing in 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds, beating Perpetual Loyal’s record of 1 day, 13 hours, 31 minutes and 20 seconds, set the previous year.

The record is not expected to be challenged this year, with the first boats expected to take at least two days to get to Hobart.

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Most Read Sports Stories

• Washington athletic director Troy Dannen bolts for same job at Nebraska
• Three thoughts on UW athletic director Troy Dannen's shocking exit
• Analysis: 8 potential candidates to replace Troy Dannen as UW athletic director
• NCAA men's tournament picks: Jon Wilner's predictions for each game
• Analysis: With bulk of roster set, here is how Seahawks position groups rank

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2023

In a thriller, Black Jack crossed the line second after a race-long battle with the other supers in 2018 Rolex Sydney Hobart – the four arriving in the Derwent River with only four miles between them and took line honours in the 2018 and 2019 Brisbane Gladstone races. This time, Black Jack will sail under the Yacht Club de Monaco burgee; a first for the race. This boat is the former Alfa Romeo/Esimit Europa, which took line honours from Wild Oats XI in the 2009 Rolex Sydney Hobart. Peter Harburg bought and renamed her Black Jack in mid-2017 and finished 3mins 31secs behind Wild Oats XI in the 2017 Sydney Gold Coast race – the closest finish in 15 years. In the 2017 Rolex Sydney Hobart, she placed third on line, inside Perpetual Loyal’s 2016 record. In 2018, Black Jack took line honours from WOXI, Comanche and InfoTrack in the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Race in the moderate conditions she was built for.

Under her former names, the RP100 claimed 150 plus line honours wins around the world and broke the 2009 Transpac Race record. Before buying this boat, Harburg enjoyed success with other Black Jacks; including with the boat that won the Sydney Hobart last year for Tasmania, renamed Alive, and a modified VOR70 previously known as Telefonica.

Black Jack Facebook page

Competitor Details

• Line Honours

Full Standings available approximately three hours after the start.

OFFICIAL ROLEX SYDNEY HOBART MERCHANDISE

Shop the official clothing range of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in person at the Club in New South Head Road, Darling Point or online below.  

From casual to technical clothing, there is something for all occasions. Be quick as stock is limited!

• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Credit card rates
• Balance transfer credit cards
• Business credit cards
• Cash back credit cards
• Rewards credit cards
• Travel credit cards
• Checking accounts
• Online checking accounts
• High-yield savings accounts
• Money market accounts
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Car insurance
• Home buying
• Options pit
• Investment ideas
• Research reports
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing
• Newsletters

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard

Super maxis Black Jack, LawConnect duel in Sydney to Hobart

Australia sailing sydney hobart.

HOBART, Australia (AP) — Super maxis Black Jack and LawConnect traded the lead several times in the Sydney to Hobart race as the yachts approached the island state of Tasmania on Tuesday nearly two days into the race.

The Monaco Yacht Club-based Black Jack and the 100-footer LawConnect, a previous winner as Perpetual Loyal in 2016 and Investec Loyal in 2011, were only several nautical miles apart and were expected to finish the race early Wednesday morning.

Hong Kong’s SHK Scallywag100, which led the fleet out of Sydney Harbour on Sunday, was in third place.

Black Jack navigator Alex Nolan said conditions had been light early on Tuesday with a breeze of 10 knots.

“We are looking forward to a good day, to where we will end up this afternoon and evening,” he said. “Everyone is very well. Everyone is very happy. We are pushing it very hard.”

LawConnect’s position tracker has been malfunctioning, with its location determined instead by radio reports.

This year’s 628-nautical mile event (1,170 kilometers, or about 720 miles) is one of the slower races in recent memory, a long way behind Comanche’s 2017 record of 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds.

Race officials say 36 boats have now retired from a starting field of 88 due to rough conditions caused largely by ocean currents.

Last year’s race was canceled the week before it was due to start because of coronavirus-related quarantine issues, but the 2021 edition is proceeding with mass virus-testing protocols in place. Skippers have been told boats must immediately retire from the race if a crew member receives a message from health authorities saying they have tested positive for COVID-19.

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Recommended Stories

Dodgers' reported reaction to shohei ohtani's $680 million deferral request: 'holy f***'.

Andrew Friedman reacted like the rest of us when he heard Shohei Ohtani's contract proposal.

Shohei Ohtani's interpreter fired after accusation of 'massive theft' from Dodgers star, per report

A bombshell has landed in Ohtani's camp hours after the Dodgers' season opener.

Boeing targets a culprit of 737 MAX production woes: 'Traveled work'

Boeing's CFO today outlined the steps the company is taking to address a series of issues affecting the safety and reliability of its planes (not to mention the company’s reputation).

Shohei Ohtani interpreter scandal: Piecing together the confusing timeline, based on what we've been told so far

The scandal has already seen a change in the story from Ohtani's camp.

Pass or Fail: Houston Texans show off new road uniforms after Reddit leak

Texans CEO and Chairman Cal McNair took to Reddit to show off one of the team's new uniform combinations in response to a leak.

Winners and losers of the UFC's $335M class action settlement

While we know the dollar amount of the settlement, we don’t know yet how it will be apportioned among the fighters involved or what other provisions might be included in the settlement.

NFL free agency good, bad and ugly: How has your favorite team done so far?

Which teams should be most excited after a week of NFL free agency?

A 15-year problem that has plagued corporate America is finally turning around

Productivity is rebounding after 15 years of no gains. That could help drive stocks higher.

2024 Fantasy Baseball: 12 sleeper pitchers not getting enough love in drafts

Fantasy baseball analyst Dalton Del Don wraps up his positional sleeper series with the pitchers!

2024 Fantasy Baseball: 7 potential draft busts from the infield

No one likes talking about busts, but identifying them can help you avoid a problem down the line. Fantasy baseball analyst Dalton Del Don highlights some infield draft fades.

2024 NFL free agency: Fantasy football winners and losers

With the massive wave of NFL free agency moves behind us, fantasy football analyst Matt Harmon shakes out who saw their fantasy value rise or fall for 2024.

Dodgers' eighth-inning rally sparked by ground ball going through Jake Cronenworth's glove

A potential inning-ending double-play wound up being a game-changer for the Dodgers.

2024 Fantasy Baseball: Wyatt Langford leads 7 key draft sleepers from the outfield

Fantasy baseball analyst Dalton Del Don continues his sleeper series identifying draft gems at every position. This time, he highlights some outfielders.

Shohei Ohtani posts first photo with wife ahead of Dodgers' trip to South Korea

Ohtani's wife is former Japanese basketball player Mamiko Tanaka.

The best soundbars for 2024: My 7 top picks for theater-quality audio at home

A soundbar is one of the best TV upgrades you can buy. Here are the best models for every type of viewer.

What does Clemson's lawsuit against the ACC mean? Here are 4 key questions on move that could have massive implications

The result of FSU and Clemson’s legal claims could impact all of college athletics. Will more schools join in? Where could Clemson and Florida State land?

Iowa OT Kadyn Proctor reportedly leaving Hawkeyes after 2 months, likely returning to Alabama

The former five-star recruit and freshman starter appears to be returning to Alabama.

Players react to Rams DT Aaron Donald announcing his retirement: 'THANK GOD'

Not everyone was sad to see the three-time DPOY leave the game.

20 most dangerous counties for fatal crashes with big trucks

Federal crash data show the 20 worst counties for fatalities with a big truck, by percentage. In one West Texas county, trucks were involved in more than half the traffic deaths.

MLB 26-and-under power rankings, Nos. 10-6: Reds' young hitters, Dodgers' young pitchers among baseball's best

The Reds, Dodgers, Brewers, Padres and Tigers round out the top 10 of this year's young talent rankings.

• CLASSIFIEDS
• NEWSLETTERS
• SUBMIT NEWS

Black Jack line honours favourite in tomorrow's tactical light air Palermo-Montecarlo

Related Articles

Black Jack Crowned 2022/23 IMA Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge Champion

Peter Harburg's Reichel/Pugh 100' Canting Keel Supermaxi Black Jack arrived to the Mediterranean from Australia this spring and on their first attempt secured victory in the seven-event 2022-2023 International Maxi Association's annual Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge (MMOC).

Peter Harburg's Reichel/Pugh 100' Canting Keel Supermaxi Black Jack arrived to the Mediterranean from Australia this spring and on their first attempt secured victory in the seven-event 2022-2023 International Maxi Association's annual Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge (MMOC).

Black Jack joins a prestigious list of past winners including Rambler 88 (2015-16), Atalanta II (2017-18), Reichel/Pugh’s 84'  Vera (2018-19) and Spirit of Lorina (2021-22).

Black Jack joined the MMOC series for its fourth event, the 151 Miglia-Trofeo Cetilar from Livorno to Punta Ala via the Giraglia Rock, in which she won line honours. For June's Rolex Giraglia race , Black Jack also secured line honours with perennial winner the 100' Reichel/Pugh design Magic Carpet 3 over nine minutes behind. Missing the Aegean 600, Black Jack rounded out her MMOC campaign winning line honours in August's nearly 500nm Palermo-Montecarlo race earning the Giuseppe Tasca d’Almerita Trophy . The 2015 record of 47h 46m 48s is still held by the same hull formerly named  Esimit Europa 2 and first launched as Alfa Romeo . It was reported that Igor Simcic, the previous owner of the yacht Esimit Europa 2, was at the dock to congratulate the winner.

Peter Harburg was presented with the silver trophy for the MMOC at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda during the recent Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. " It is a thrill to win it, " said Harburg. " We came over here to present the boat the best we could. I am surprised to win it first time around. We know it is a good boat and we have worked very hard on it over the years and have got it operating really, really well. So I am very happy to win it. "

Black Jack first launched in 2005 as Neville Crichton's Alfa Romeo . In these colours she won the coveted Rolex Sydney Hobart line honours in 2009, the same year as she won the 'Barn Door Trophy' for line honours in the Transpac, when she also established a new race record. Then as Igor Simcic's Esimit Europa II she spent 2010-15 set race records for the Palermo-Montecarlo in 2010 and 2015 and Rolex Giraglia in 2013, venturing out of the Med in 2013 to visit Germany and Sweden and claim Rolex Fastnet Race line honours. She was acquired by Australian Harburg in 2019 following on from his 66 footer and VO70.

Next up for the Black Jack team is the Rolex Middle Sea Race starting October 21st.

100’ Black Jack’s Winning History Naval Architecture by Reichel/Pugh Built by McConaghy Boats - Launched 2005  

Black Jack (2017) 2023 - 2022-2023 International Maxi Association's annual Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge (MMOC) - Champions 2023 - Palermo-Montecarlo Race - Line Honours 2023 - 70th Giraglia Race - Line Honours 2023 - 151 Miglia-Trofeo Cetilar (124nm) - Line Honours 2021 - Sydney Hobart Race - Line Honors 2019 - Brisbane to Gladstone Race - 1st to Finish 2019 - Bird Island Race - 1st to Finish 2019 - Cabbage Tree Island Race - 1st to Finish 2018 - Rolex Sydney-Hobart - 2nd Place Line Honors 2018 - Brisbane to Gladstone Race - New Course Record 2017 - Rolex Sydney-Hobart - 3rd Place Line Honors 2017 - Solas Big Boat Challenge - 1st to Finish

Esimit Europa 2 (2010) (formerly Alfa Romeo, now Black Jack) 2015 - Palermo to Monaco - Elapsed Time Winner - 1st Place 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 - Giraglia Race - 1st to Finish 2013 - Fastnet Race - 1st to Finish 2010, 2011, 2012 - Middle Sea Race 1st to Finish 2010, 2012 - Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup Division Winner - 1st Place

Alfa Romeo (2005) 2009 - Sydney-Hobart - Line Honors 1st Place Elapsed Time 2009 - Transpac Winner - Course Record Set 2009 - Auckland-Bay Of Islands Coastal Classic - Course Record Set 2008 - Giraglia Race - Course Record Set 2007 - Barcolana Of Trieste - Course Record Set 2006, 2007, 2008 - Giraglia Race - 1st Place Elapsed Time 2006 - Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup - 1st Place 2006 - Middle Sea Race - 1st Place 2005 - Trophy Rolex Regatta - 1st Place

source  / James Boyd / International Maxi Association photography ©  / Carlo Borlenghi / Andrea Francolini / International Maxi Association - Michelangelo Forza

Super maxi Black Jack leads battered Sydney-Hobart fleet

The Associated Press

December 26, 2021, 4:06 PM

• Share This:
• share on facebook
• share on linkedin
• share on email

SYDNEY (AP) — Super maxi Black Jack was leading a much-reduced Sydney to Hobart race fleet on Monday after strong winds and high seas forced almost a quarter of the boats to retire.

The storm forced 21 of the original 88 starters out of the race, and the other 67 were hoping for less taxing conditions after being battered by heavy southerlies through the latter part of Sunday.

While the three super maxis remained in the race, the big list of casualties included the TP52 Gweilo, which was considered one of the main contenders to win overall honors.

Monaco’s Black Jack continued to lead in the battle for line honors. She was ahead of rival super maxis LawConnect and SHK Scallywag 100,

The size of Black Jack’s lead was hard to confirm as LawConnect had issues with reporting the boat’s exact position.

Scallywag was the first out of Sydney Heads on Sunday to take the early lead. The Hong Kong boat is skippered by Australian David Witt.

Last year’s race was canceled the week before it was due to start because of coronavirus-related quarantine issues, but the 2021 edition is proceeding with mass virus-testing protocols in place. Skippers have been told boats must immediately retire from the race if a crew member receives a message from health authorities saying they have tested positive for COVID-19.

“With the co-operation of the Tasmanian government, we’ve been able to get these boats away and we are very appreciative of that,” said Cruising Yacht Club of Australia commodore Noel Cornish. “So people can go as long as they’ve had their test. They can get sailing and get their result on the way down.”

The 628 nautical-mile race (1,170 kilometers, or about 720 miles) sails from Sydney down the south coast of New South Wales state and across Bass Strait to Hobart, the capital of the island state of Tasmania.

In 2017, Comanche set the race record after finishing in 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds, beating Perpetual Loyal’s record of 1 day, 13 hours, 31 minutes and 20 seconds, set the previous year.

The record is not expected to be challenged this year, with the first boats expected to take at least two days to get to Hobart.

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

Related News

Stock market today: Asian shares follow Wall St higher as markets await a rate decision by the Fed

Decision to cancel 2026 Commonwealth Games in Australia based on “overstated” cost estimates

USA Basketball learns its groupings for the Paris Olympics. Tough draws await the men and women

Recommended.

Teen killed in shooting in Fairfax County as police continue search for shooter

DC nonprofit receives $2 million donation from Amazon's MacKenzie Scott

Making friends as an adult is hard. This DC program is trying get you back out in the field — literally

Related categories:.

Strange Glow Over Moscow Skies Triggers Panic as Explosions Reported

B right flashes lit up the night sky in southern Moscow in the early hours of Thursday morning, new footage appears to show, following reports of an explosion at an electrical substation on the outskirts of the city.

Video snippets circulating on Russian-language Telegram channels show a series of flashes on the horizon of a cloudy night sky, momentarily turning the sky a number of different colors. In a clip shared by Russian outlet MSK1.ru, smoke can be seen rising from a building during the flashes lighting up the scene.

Newsweek was unable to independently verify the details of the video clips, including when and where it was filmed. The Russian Ministry of Emergency situations has been contacted via email.

Several Russian Telegram accounts said early on Thursday that residents of southern Moscow reported an explosion and a fire breaking out at an electrical substation in the Leninsky district, southeast of central Moscow.

Local authorities in the Leninsky district told Russian outlet RBC that the explosion had happened in the village of Molokovo. "All vital facilities are operating as normal," Leninsky district officials told the outlet.

The incident at the substation in Molokovo took place just before 2 a.m. local time, MSK1.ru reported.

Messages published by the ASTRA Telegram account, run by independent Russian journalists, appear to show residents close to the substation panicking as they question the bright flashes in the sky. One local resident describes seeing the bright light before losing access to electricity, with another calling the incident a "nightmare."

More than 10 villages and towns in the southeast of Moscow lost access to electricity, the ASTRA Telegram account also reported. The town of Lytkarino to the southeast of Moscow, lost electricity, wrote the eastern European-based independent outlet, Meduza.

Outages were reported in the southern Domodedovo area of the city, according to another Russian outlet, as well as power failures in western Moscow. Electricity was then restored to the areas, the Strana.ua outlet reported.

The cause of the reported explosion is not known. A Telegram account aggregating news for the Lytkarino area described the incident as "an ordinary accident at a substation."

The MSK1.ru outlet quoted a local resident who speculated that a drone may have been responsible for the explosion, but no other Russian source reported this as a possible cause.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Moscow with long-range aerial drones in recent months, including a dramatic wave of strikes in late May.

On Sunday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the region's air defense systems had intercepted an aerial drone over the city of Elektrostal, to the east of Moscow. No damage or casualties were reported, he said.

The previous day, Russian air defenses detected and shot down another drone flying over the Bogorodsky district, northeast of central Moscow, Sobyanin said.

There is currently no evidence that an aerial drone was responsible for the reported overnight explosion at the electrical substation in southern Moscow.

Related Articles

• Russian Soldier Bashes Drone With Shovel After Detonation Failure: Video
• Russia Headed for Disappointment in Battles Along Dnieper River: UK
• Ukraine's Military Receives Good News From Multiple NATO Allies

Start your unlimited Newsweek trial

Moscow Metro Font

Moscow Metro is a multi-line display typeface inspired by the Moscow underground map. It comes in Regular and Color versions.

Moscow Metro is ideal for posters and headlines, neon signage and other artworks.

• Share by email

Designed by: Nadira Filatova Website

License: free for commercial use.