Sydney Hobart - Alfa Romeo accelerates away

by Rob Kothe & the Sail-World Team on 28 Dec 2009 This morning Neville Crichton’s Alfa Romeo has broken clear of the Sydney to Hobart fleet and the canting keel Reichel Pugh 100 could grab a double win, line honours and IRC handicap, in the 2009 race.

Alfa Romeo was first boat into the parking lot off Flinders Island and was first boat out.

Tom Addis, navigator, Alfa Romeo explained ‘We sailed the ridge pretty well. Its always stressful going through transitions like that but we did as much homework as we could and it all went to plan. Our aim was to be first boat out and cross at the narrowest point and we made big gains on the way out.'

Big gains - that is an understatement. Just before this morning's 0735 radio sked Crichton and crew were 25 nautical miles south east of St. Helens on Tasmania’s east coast, just 154 miles from Hobart.

She is now almost 30 miles ahead of Mike Slade’s ICAP Leopard, with Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats XI, ten miles closer to the coast and a short way behind.

The situation was summarised by Ian ‘Fresh' Burns, co-navigator on Wild Oats XI a few minutes ago.

‘We managed to cross the ridge as it was spreading up, we dove west (as did Alfa and Leopard) to get get around it and we did. We were the last through the gate. The guys behind (like Ichi Ban and RAN) got swallowed and are still there.

‘So far the race has favoured the leaders and in all probability that will continue. 'Now the breeze is coming in quite nicely from Banks Strait. We have one more transition to go when the north westerly we are in meets the south westerly. Alfa Romeo hasn't made a mis-step yet and they are unlikely to.

'Alfa is getting richer and richer and she is looking good for a handicap win too.'

There is a giant gap back to Sean Langman's Investec LOYAL, 100 miles behind the leader, followed ten miles back by Matt Allen's modified Volvo 70 Ichi Ban and Nicklas Zennström Ran

From Ichi Ban, navigator Conrad Humphreys reported a few minutes ago 'We have true wind speed 4.5kts, true wind direction 250 degrees (sou’west). Our boatspeed 6.0, weather sunny, very calm.

'Ran is just on our hip around 4 miles behind. Last night was very slow, we had two watches where speeds were down to 2 knots. Today we expect to pick up the little wind acceleration between Flinders Is and the mainland, work our way through the calms off the Tassie Coast. It’s going to be pretty slow to the finish.'