Oats Rolled by Black Jack
SOUTH PACIFIC CUP PROVISIONAL RESULTS Results updated on : 24/08/2008 15:06:44
Today the formula one component of the 25th anniversary Audi Hamilton Island Race Week split from the bulk of the 225 strong fleet for some thrilling round the cans action in Fitzalan Passage, to the east of Hamilton Island. 
'Audi Hamilton Island Race week 2008, Hamilton Island (Australia) - 24/08/08 -'
Andrea Francolini / Audi ©
The line honours battle continued at the front end of the fleet with Peter Harburg's Black Jack gaining the upper hand, scoring two crucial wins over the Mark Richards skippered Wild Oats X.
The 2006 built Black Jack, named after the three time formula one world champion Sir Jack Brabham in honour of his sporting achievements and launched in Brisbane last month, is a slight development of the previous Wild Oats X model.
In race 1 the two got away side by side, Black Jack finally edging out Wild Oats to finish comfortably ahead of Wild Oats X, but in the second race just a boat length separated the two at the finish, PRO Denis Thompson reporting 'in the end it came down to the best gybe'.
In the all important handicap stakes, the Victorians stole the show today. The crew of Michael Hiatt's modified Cookson 50 Living Doll redeemed themselves beyond doubt with consecutive handicap victories after scoring OCS in yesterday's regatta opener.
Living Doll is a member of the Australian South Pacific Cup team and today's bullets will stand them in good stead against the kiwis who were left in their wake in the heavy seaway.
'The crew work was fantastic and we worked hard,' said a delighted Hiatt this afternoon. 'The boat has been prepared for this sort of racing.'
Alan Whiteley's TP52 Cougar, also representing Victoria,finished runner up in the first and second race of the day and Graeme Troon's Reichel/Pugh 46 XLR8, yet another Melbourne boat which is sailing this week with Ian 'Barney' Walker at the helm, rounded out the top three in race two this afternoon.
A number of kiwi boats had issues on the track today including Rob Bassett's Bakewell-White 52 Wired which was in irons for a number of minutes when a button jammed in the canting keel's control system leaving the keel stuck on the wrong side and the boat stopped in the water. Place Ties Sail No Boat Name Skipper From Design Sers Score Race 3 Race 2 Race 1 1 2.0S SM5200 COUGAR LL Alan Whiteley Melbourne TP52 12.00 2.00 2.00 8.00 2 8899 QUANTUM RACING Raymond Roberts Sydney Cookson 50 12.00 4.00 5.00 3.00 3 1.0S 52002 QUEST Bob Steel Sydney TP 52 13.00 9.00 3.00 1.00 4 AUS1836 YENDYS Geoffrey Ross Sydney Reichel Pugh 55 13.00 5.00 6.00 2.00 5 NZL10007 PUSSY GALORE Anatole Masfen Auckland Cookson 50 modified 16.00 6.00 4.00 6.00 6 R50 LIVING DOLL Michael Hiatt Melbourne Cookson 50 modified 17.00 1.00 1.00 15.00O 7 SM460 XLR8 Graeme Troon Melbourne Reichel Pugh 46 18.00 3.00 8.00 7.00 8 AUS7002 WILD JOE Steven David Sydney Reichel Pugh 60 24.50 7.50 7.00 10.00 9 50062 SHOCKWAVE- CLUB MARI Andrew Short Sydney R/P 80 26.00 10.00 12.00 4.00 10 AUS7001 WILD OATS X Robert Oatley Sydney Reichel Pugh 66 27.00 11.00 11.00 5.00 11 52566 BLACK JACK Peter Harburg Brisbane Reichel Pugh 66 30.00 12.00 9.00 9.00 12 SM2008 AUDI CENTRE MELBOURN Chris Dare Melbourne Corby IRC 49 32.50 7.50 13.00 12.00 13 YC3300 SECRET MENS III Geoffrey Boettcher Adelaide Reichel Pugh 47 35.00 14.00 10.00 11.00 14 NZL10303 WIRED Rob Bassett Auckland Bakewell-White 52 40.00 13.00 14.00 13.00 Place Ties Sail No Boat Name Skipper From Design Sers Score Race 3 Race 2 Race 1 1 Q345 ALEGRIA Rodney Jones Mooloolaba Archambault A40 RC 4.00 1.00 1.00 2.00 2 33345 HONEYSUCKLE Ray Harris Sydney Beneteau first 45 6.00 3.00 2.00 1.00 3 YC46 EXILE Nick George Adelaide DK46 9.00 2.00 4.00 3.00 4 3.0S 6838 SPLASH GORDON Stephen Ellis Sydney Farr 40 OD Modified 14.00 5.00 3.00 6.00 5 6530 CRACKLIN ROSIE Robert(Robbo) Robert Brisbane Farr 40 14.00 4.00 5.00 5.00 6 NZL49005 CARRERA John Meadowcroft Auckland Marten49 17.00 7.00 6.00 4.00 7 JPN5095 SLED Simon Benson Southport Farr 47 Custom 20.00 6.00 7.00 7.00 8 SM4200 PIPING HOT Greg Poole Brisbane Fast 42' 33.00 11.00C 11.00C 11.00C 8 CR1000 AUSMAID Bruce Absolon Hamilton Island Farr 47 33.00 11.00C 11.00C 11.00C 8 G421 SHOGUN Robert Hanna Geelong Roger 46 33.00 11.00C 11.00C 11.00C
| FROM | SAIL NO | BOAT NAME | R1 | R2 | R3 | SERS |
| AUS | R50 | LIVING DOLL | 5 | 1 | 1 | |
| AUS | AUS1836 | YENDYS | 1 | 3 | 2 | |
| AUS | Q345 | ALEGRIA | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| AUS | Total | 7 | 5 | 4 | 16.0 | |
| NZ | NZL10007 | PUSSY GALORE | 2 | 2 | 3 | |
| NZ | NZL10303 | WIRED | 3 | 4 | 4 | |
| NZ | NZL49005 | CARRERA | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| NZ | Total | 7 | 8 | 9 | 24.0 |
John Meadowcroft's stunning Marten 49 Carerra from Auckland ripped its kite at a bottom mark turning and couldn't crack the top three in IRC Grand Prix division 2 in either race.
In IRC Grand Prix division 2 Rod Jones' Alegria, also a member of the Hamilton Island Yacht Club team representing Australia for the South Pacific Cup, took the double with two firsts.
There was some drama on the course in the second race of the day with Stephen Ellis' modified Farr 40 Splash Gordon losing 30 year old Sydney based crewman Sam Horgan overboard at the last top rounding.
He was retrieved in less than two minutes, one witness describing it as one of the most perfectly executed man overboard recoveries he'd ever seen. The crew has nicknamed Sam 'Splash Horgan'.
Tomorrow is the 59 nautical mile Club Marine Classic Hayman Island Race, the longest race of the series for the IRC Grand Prix, IRC Premier Passage, IRC Passage and Performance Grand Prix. It's an early start ahead of a long day with the first division off the line at 8.15am from Dent Passage.
The cruising divisions will sail the 41 nautical mile Double Cones Island Race starting from Dent Passage at 11am.
by Lisa Ratcliff
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Devonport, TAS
