Record demolished

Alfa Romeo improves outright monohull Transpac record by 26 hours

Neville Crichton's 100ft supermaxi Alfa Romeo made a splash on her American début, finishing first in the Transpac ocean race and breaking the existing record by almost 26 hours. Alfa Romeo needed only 134 hours to cover the 2,225 nautical mile course and proclaim herself serial winner of the seas, travelling at an average speed of 16.6 knots, faster than any other craft in the 103-year history of the event. The Los Angeles-Honolulu course covers the same distance as that separating South Sicily from the far North of Finland.

On board with skipper and owner Neville Crichton were some of the top names in sailing: from quadruple Olympic medallist Ben Ainslie to the members of the Ericsson Racing Team and Stan Honey, the great Transpac expert who dictated the tactics for the race.

After crossing the line, Neville Crichton said: “I was sure that with the right kind of weather we'd sail a very good race and we found perfect conditions for breaking the record. I'm delighted with the work of the team. We ran into some difficulties, with the boat snagging on a large fishing net or some heavy weather that required fast sail changes. But that's all part of the sport and what makes it so interesting. At the start we decided to steer a course north of the rest of fleet to look for more consistent wind and then come back down with a good push behind us: in fact the boat sailed at speeds of up to 25 knots. The tactics paid off and the yacht and her crew responded as they always do, in other words giving their all.”

This Transpac will go down in the history of the event with Alfa Romeo as the undisputed star for the whole of the race. She received a great sending off in Los Angeles from crowds of well-wishers, with American sailing fans following her progress via internet. Neville Crichton's début in US waters certainly lived up to his many supporters' expectations: he crossed the line first, smashing the record set in 2005 by Morning Glory.

And so in her first race of the 2009 season, sailed in relatively unknown waters against many opponents she had never met before, Alfa Romeo won her 141st Line Honours, underlining once again that she really is the fastest maxi in the world.

Crichton added: “I have waited 30 years to come back and do the TransPac and the team and I have enjoyed this event at every level, from the welcome we have had from the people running event, as well as the spectators and the public, to the professionalism of the event team, which has been excellent. It has exceeded all our expectations and I am honoured to be added to the winners list - and to have laid down a new challenge for future yachts to try and beat. The Rolex Sydney to Hobart is very different race to the TransPac and although this win must place us as the front runner in December, there are still some five yachts that could reach Hobart first. However, we have just completed some four times the distance of the Sydney to Hobart with total reliability, with a crew who now have a vast range of experience in a wide range of conditions. In a race as tough as Rolex Sydney Hobart that is extremely significant and important. I can’t wait to be at starting line with Alfa Romeo for the Rolex Sydney Hobart. I think it will be one of the best races the event has ever seen.”

New record set by Alfa Romeo (Neville Crichton owner and skipper):
5 days, 14 hours, 36 minutes, 20 seconds

Past record set by Morning Glory, 2005
6 days, 16 hours, 4 minutes, 11 seconds