Coastal Classic- Alfa Romeo smashes the Race Record

by Richard Gladwell on 23 Oct 2009
Sail-World spoke to ONE Sport's Martin Tasker aboard Alfa Romeo around 1445hrs this afternoon.

At that stage she was in the vicinity of Poor Knights. Speeds were well over 20kts - more than sufficient to achieve the 17kt average to break the race record.

She was sailing on a two sail fetch with a jib-top set.

Tasker reported that when they passed the Hen and Chickens Islands they were about 25 minutes ahead of the race record, however navigator Mike Quilter believed they would need all of that to stay within the record, unless the breeze shifted to a more favourable direction after rounding Cape Brett.

When Sail-World spoke to Tasker, they had two tonnes of waterballast stacked in and the keel fully canted to 40 degrees.

Round the World veteran Erle Willaims was driving - and the 20kts plus must have seemed positively pedestrian compared to the 40kts he achieved during the 2004/05 Round the World race.

1700hrs: Alfa Romeo has sliced 36 minutes off the race record for the Coastal Classic. The 100ft Reichel-Pugh design owned by New Zealander, Neville Crichton, has set a new race mark of around 6hrs 45 minutes - a time to be confirmed by race officials.

ONE Sport's Martin Tasker was aboard for the ride north and told Sail-World that she had stayed above 20kts all the way up the Northland coast before dropping back to 12 kts for the final stage, on the wind from Cape Brett.

The breeze was from 200 degrees at around 15kts for the final leg, which required Alfa Romeo to build a hefty time reserve on the reach north.

She had three helmsmen for the trip - round the world sailors, Erle Williams and Stu Bannatyne and owner skipper, Neville Crichton.

The record will move Alfa Romeo into a favorite position for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race to be sailed from Sydney, starting Boxing Day which will be contested by all the world's top supermaxis.

The ONE Sport's coverage of the race http://tvnz.co.nz/othersports-news/alfa-romeo-smashes-coastal-classic-record-3091142/video!Click_Here