Inaugural Coffs to Paradise Ocean Yacht Race - Black Jack leads

8:40 AM Thu 7 Jan 2010 GMT

'Black Jack' Crosbie Lorimer Click Here to view large photo

Eleven yachts crewed by 100 enthusiastic sailors set out from Coffs Harbour at 10am today on the Inaugural 150 nautical mile Coffs to Paradise ocean yacht race, which is being conducted by Southport Yacht Club.

By late this afternoon the hot favourite for line honours, the 66-footer Black Jack, owned by Peter Harburg and skippered by Mark Bradford, was living up to expectations by leading a fleet on the passage north.

At that stage Black Jack was due east of Yamba and averaging nine knots.

The surprise package in the fleet was the 40-footer, E11even, skippered by David Elliot, which was six nautical miles astern of the leader and holding down second place.

The other big boat in the race, Bruce Absolon's Spirit of the Maid, a Volvo 70, appeared to be suffering from a fading breeze and adverse current. She was located well to the east of the bulk of the fleet, which was 10 nautical miles south of Yamba and close to the coast.

At its current speed Black Jack could be expected to cross the finish line off Main Beach, on the Gold Coast, at around 3am tomorrow, however coastal weather stations along the remainder of the course to the north of the fleet were indicating that the wind was beginning to fade away.

www.southportyachtclub.com.au

by Bronwen Ince