Mooloolaba Yacht Club's Rod Jones, the only skipper to win two Audi Australian ocean racing championship trophies, will be forced to protect his reputation in the 348 nm Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Island race next month.
The feature event hosted by the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron has, as expected, attracted a high standard fleet including the Peter Harburg owned Black Jack racing under the Queensland ‘battle flag’ against her New South Wales rival, the Bob Oatley owned Wild Oats X.
Both skipper Rod Jones and his core crew including the talented Shaun O’Rourke and Greg Macallansmith have been busy preparing the exciting new GP42 Alegria IV for her maiden coastal passage classic and match race against the 2010 Brisbane to Gladstone race winner the Bill Wild skippered Wedgetail.
Alegria IV and Wedgetail are radically different in design but are identical in waterline length which suggests they will almost certainly become involved in a private mate against mate match race.
A simular intense minute by minute tactical dogfight is also expected to be played out on the decks of the Mark Bradford skippered Black Jack and the Mark Richards helmed Wild Oats X.
Black Jack has a proud reputation to protect. She remains undefeated in Queensland’s major blue water racing classics having taken line honours in the past two Brisbane to Gladstone races and is the defending Brisbane to Keppel Race line honours overall IRC handicap champion and race record holder.
This clash between Australia’s best crewed and fastest 20.3 m ocean racing yachts will no doubt turn into a 348 nm drag race with the result determined by the human elements of physical endurance and a superior tactical strategy.
Local coastal racing experience suggests Black Jack deserves to be the pre-race favourite but Mark Bradford and his principal crew mates including owner Peter Harburg should be physically and mentally prepared for an exhausting match race when the super fast sloops go head to head for the prestigious line honours trophy.
They have the proven speed potential to weather the challenge from the larger Sydney sloop the 30m Lahana.But they will need to be tactically prepared to protect their race honours if a moderate to fresh spinnaker sailing breeze allows Lahana to exercise the advantage of her extra waterline length.
This trio will set the pace at the head of the fleet while an equally interesting match race will unfold between Wedgetail and Alegria IV, Lambourdini, Eleven, Bribie Star, Cracklin Rosie, Night Nurse, Acadia and Bobby’s Girl to set the required handicap rated speed to outpace Black Jack and Wild Oats X for fastest corrected course time.
Black Jack, which averaged 11.8 knots to claim a rare triple honour (line honours, record and handicap) in 2009, has improved in 2010 and is sure to set the pace for her rivals to chase.
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By Ian "Stripey" Grant
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