Emotional Hooligan crew invades Hamilton Island regatta for big result
Vitamin king Marcus Blackmore made his rivals green with envy with big sweep of major award on the water at Hamilton Island race week.
Manly
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Pittwater skipper Marcus Blackmore has raced off with two impressive wins and one rather unusual triumph thanks to one of the strangest team uniforms you will ever see.
Vitamin king Blackmore and his team on the TP52 Emotional Hooligan won the top division at the annual regatta from the Oatley family owned Wild Oats X, the 66-foot little sister to the 100-foot multiple Sydney to Hobart winner Wild Oats X1.
Rightly chuffed at the IRC division 1 victory — along with the accolade of boat of the week — Blackmore was also delighted to secure another award.
“We won the Prix d'Elegance Parade as well,’’ Blackmore, whose wife Caroline sourced the vivid green alien outfits for the crew to wear, said.
“We also won the week with a day to spare which is really good. And that was after winning Airlie Beach regatta last week.’’
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It was the fifth time Blackmore, an old friend of the late Bob Oatley, has taken out the top honours at the annual Hamilton Island regatta.
“Twice in this boat and three times in a former one,’’ Blackmore, who contested his first regatta on the island back in 1983, said.
Sailing with Blackmore up north was a top-class crew which also includes round the world racer Stacey Jackson.
Jackson last year steered Wild Oats X to second place overall in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race as head of a fully professional women’s crew.
“She does the work of two crew,’’ Blackmore said of Jackson, who competed in the last Volvo round the world race.