Alfa Romeo blew off the competition this afternoon

by Rob Kothe on 28 Dec 2002 Neville Crichton, former touring car driver and luxury car importer achieved his goal of winning the 2002 Rolex Sydney to Hobart just a few minutes before 6pm today.

His 90-foot super maxi Alfa Romeo made light work of Storm Bay and the Derwent River surging to victory at speeds of up to 24 knots.

There appears to no boat in the world that matches this high tech carbon fibre racer, which incredible as it seems has been detuned to keep under the ILC maximum speed limit for the Rolex Sydney to Hobart race. She now going to be sailed to New Zealand for the Millennium Cup and in that series, she’ll have her water ballast tanks in action, which will speed her up even more.

Two years ago Crichton’s smaller 80-foot maxi Shockwave retired after damaging her rudder in tough Bass Strait conditions.

Sean Langman’s Grundig was 90 minutes behind Alfa Romeo at Tasman Light, 43 miles from the finish line. She reporting at 4:47pm advising that she expected to reach Hobart at 8:45pm, obviously expecting softening conditions. We just heard from Iron Pot, 11 miles from the finish and officials report that she’s not in sight and conditions are easing quite rapidly.

Other Tasman Light reports have come from the 97 footer Canon arriving there at 5:16pm Nicorette 5:44pm, Australian Skandia Wild Thing 5:52 pm.

Nicorette and Brindabella are likely to suffer overnight in the soft conditions.
The part is likely to stop tonight too for the two Volvo 60’s Merit-Navigator and Magnavox 2UE with Stan Zemarnek amongst the helmsman who have been hitting speeds of 18-19 knots as they surf towards Tasman Light.

These boats along with Ichi Ban, Hollywood Boulevard, Kiwi Starlight Express, Martin James Infinity II, Fitness First Sting, Quest, Dreamland and sailors with disabilities Aspect are still expected to suffer as winds subside overnight. Ichi Ban has had an amazing race; they had a struggle to even get to the startline, after snapping their rudder the week before the race. Then they started 20 minutes late after discovering they had a sail problem. In spite of those set back’s the new Farr 52, has sailed through her sistership Hollywood Boulevard.

The overall handicap leader is closer than expected with Jim Dunstan’s 30 footer Zeus II now sailing near her top speed north of Flinders Island. If the coastal northerlies hang in tomorrow then she’s a possibility to upset Robert Hicks Toecutter, ahead of the Michael Spies campaigned P&O Ned Lloyd.

Victorian’s Bruce Taylor and Lou Abraham’s are locked together a little north of St Helens in their Sydney 38’s and they could figure in the overall results.

In IRC overall Toecutter leads Bacardi with Chutzpah and Another Challenge almost tied.

In the PHS division Rod Skellett’s Krakatoa leads Anteater with Delta Wing third.