Gilbreath Named SilverHook Racing Director

SilverHook has a seasoned team manager in Jerry Gilbreath. Photo by Karel Overlaet, courtesy Nigel Hook.

Noted offshore racer Jerry Gilbreath has taken the role of racing director for SilverHook, the 48-foot-long, Ocke Mannerfelt-designed Mystic V-bottom piloted by Nigel Hook and Michael Silfverberg on the Ocean Grand Prix circuit in Europe. Gilbreath reportedly will work on site with Hook, Silfverberg and their crew for the balance of the events this season and likely will continue with the team in 2012.

“Nigel asked me to come over for a couple of races, observe and tell him what I saw and what I thought the team needed,” said Gilbreath. “He made me a good offer and I decided to accept.”

Though Gilbreath, whose family founded famed Gil Marine, has been out of the offshore racing circuit full time since throttling for Alcone Motorsports, one of the most dominant Open class catamarans in the late 1990s, he has not entirely vanished from custom powerboat scene. Most recently, he led the team that created a 34-foot wooden boat in Couer d’Alene, Idaho.

Editor’s Note: Look for an in-depth interview with Jerry Gilbreath on speedonthewater.com later this week.