Bar a disaster late on in the Palermo-Montecarlo, Black Jack will be the victor in the 18th edition of the race. However, the boat won’t beat its own record, which was set back in 2015. The boat, named Esimit Europa at the time, completed the race in 47 hours, 46 minutes and 48 seconds.

This year, Black Jack is skippered by the Yacht Club de Monaco’s very own Peter Harburg, whilst renowned New Zealand tactician Brad Butterworth is also on board.

Light winds in Corsica hamper record-breaking attempts

The race began in optimal conditions on Tuesday, with Black Jack taking an early lead. Naturally, there were hopes of a record-breaking sail from Italy to Monaco, however they were dashed due to the lack of wind off the west coast of Corsica.

The fleet sailed around the East coast of Sardinia, passing Porto Cervo before tackling the narrow straight between the Italian island and Corsica. But it was here that the fleet came unstuck. It had been expected that, in the case of a record-breaking attempt, boats would begin to arrive at the Monaco Yacht Club early in the afternoon.

However, this did not come to pass. Nevertheless, Black Jack is baring down on Monaco, and landfall is expected to be made in the night of Thursday/Friday. Shockwave 3, skippered by Andrea Micalli, is currently second, whilst I Love Poland and Kuka 3 are battling it out for the bottom step of the podium.

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Photo source: Yacht Club de Monaco