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Alfa Romeo's record in Cabbage Tree Island Race

Alfa Romeo's record in Cabbage Tree Island Race
Neville Crichton's Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo's record in Cabbage Tree Island Race

Alfa Romeo, currently the biggest and fastest ocean racing yacht in Australia, swept down the New South Central Coast on Saturday to take line honours in record time in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s 180 nautical mile Cabbage Tree Island Race.

 Alfa Romeo, currently the biggest and fastest ocean racing yacht in Australia, swept down the New South Central Coast on Saturday  to take line honours in record time in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s 180 nautical mile Cabbage Tree Island Race.

With owner/skipper Neville Crichton on the helm, the huge 30-metre sloop crossed the finish line in Sydney Harbour just before 2:34pm for an elapsed time of 18 hours 33 minutes 56 seconds.

This bettered Brindabella’s race record, set last year, by 23 minutes and 41 seconds despite a slow overnight sail north to Cabbage Tree Island, a rugged outcrop off the New South Wales Central Coast near Port Stephens and back to Sydney.

The record was an impressive effort as winds have been only light to moderate, between 5 and 12 knots, off the coast since the race started at 8pm on Friday.  Alfa Romeo did not round the island until about sunrise today after a slow beat to windward northwards taking about 10 hours to reach the island.

Sailing back from Cabbage Tree Island, the big boat covered the 90 miles in just over eight-and-a-half hours, an average speed of just under 11 knots.  “We had little or no wind, 8 to 11 knots, and we were parked off Pittwater until we picked up the southerly,” an elated Crichton said back at the Cruising Yacht Club.

“We would have liked more wind, but it was good to race the boat at night for the first time – and it’s a great start to our campaign to already have two race records,” he added. (Alfa Romeo set a record in her first race at Hamilton Island Race Week in late August).

This was the new Reichel/Pugh-designed 98-footer’s first race out of Sydney since being launched in July.  She sailed her first regatta at Hamilton Island Race Week in August and has since been in New Zealand for some final modifications.

With the light winds continuing through Saturday and afternight, big boats dominated the provisional IRC rating handicap results announced by the CYCA on Sunday morning.  Alfa Romeo placed first of the yachts entered for the 2005 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, but second overall to Wild Joe, Steven David’s 60-footer, the former Wild Oats, the winning Admiral’s Cup team yacht  of 2003.

Third place went to Loki, Stephen Ainsworth’s new 60-footer, another Reichel/Pugh design but, unlike Wild Joe and Alfa Romeo,  with a conventional rather than canting keel.  Loki is also in the Rolex Sydney Hobart fleet.

Of the smaller boats entered in the Rolex Sydney Hobart,  the best performances came from the Beneteau 44.7 Sirromet Lifestyle Wine,  owned by 2003 Hobart Race winner Michael Spies and David Beak and AFR Midnight Rambler,  Ed Psaltis and Bob Thomas’ Farr 40 One Design, which placed fourth and fifth on IRC corrected time.

Seriously Ten, the former Volvo 60 round the world race skippered by John Woodruff, won the PHS category from Alfa Romeo and AAPT, Sean Langman’s Open 66.

· The fleet for the 2005 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race stands at 95 boats, representing five overseas nations and seven Australian states and territories. Alfa Romeo is one of four 30m super-maxis entered,  the others being the yet-to-be-launched  Wild Oats XI,  Skandia and Konica Minolta.