New Zealand Millennium Cup Superyacht Regatta - Day 3
by Keith Taylor 12 Feb 2003 08:48 GMT
CRICHTON'S ALFA ROMEO WINS KAWAU IS RACE IN NEW ZEALAND'S MILLENNIUM CUP REGATTA
Photos © Ivor Wilkins/Millennium Cup
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Kiwi Neville Crichton's water-ballasted maxi-racer Alfa Romeo powered away from her more stately
performance cruiser sisters today to handsomely win the corrected and elapsed time trophies for the Kawau Island race.
The superyachts staged a dazzling display as they marched in close
company out of Auckland's Waitemata Harbour on the opening leg of the
race north through the Hauraki Gulf Islands. The starting gun for the 30
nautical mile race marked the beginning of day three of the New Zealand
Millennium Cup Superyacht Regatta 2003.
Powered by a brisk 15-knot southwesterly breeze, some of the biggest,
fastest and most luxurious sailing vessels in the world romped down the
harbour, threading a lane of waiting spectator craft and watched by
crowds on vantage points ashore. As they cleared the starting line,
brightly coloured spinnakers and staysails blossomed as skippers fought
for position in the confined waters.
Just two hours five minutes and 34 seconds later, the 90-foot
Reichel/Pugh-designed racer crossed the finish line off Kawau Island
after logging a speed of nearly 15-knots for the run. Just five minutes
and 23 seconds behind her, Bob Miller's 146-foot ketch Mari Cha III
finished in second place. Three years ago Miller's famous record-breaker
was first to finish in the Kawau Island Race.
The 112-foot performance cruising superyacht Ipanema, from Brazil,
steered by Prada Syndicate's tactician Torben Grael was the third placed
boat in Division One.
Prada personnel featured in Division Two as well, where Kiwi-born
alternate helmsman Gavin Brady steered the Nautor Swan cruiser/racer
Innovision from Holland to an early lead and kept it all the way. The
80-footer owned by Hans Eekhol finished ten minutes ahead of her nearest
competition to take elapsed and corrected time honours. Second place
went to the custom New Zealand 65-foot Davidson sloop Antaeus, owned and
steered by Charles St Clair Brown.
Two boats share the honors for overall winner in Division One after two
days of racing. Canon Leopard, a 96-foot fully-fitted racer cruiser
owned by Briton Mike Slade and steered by Louis Vuitton Cup winner Paul
Cayard, is first equal with Ipanema. In Division Two, the overall winner
is Innovision. The series will wrap up with a race tomorrow from Kawau
Island to Auckland.
After waiting in vain for wind yesterday, the international fleet of 35
superyachts enjoyed ideal conditions, with a spinnaker run flanking
Auckland's East Coast Bays, rounding the Whangaparoa Peninsula and
traversing the Inner Channel to a finish off Kawau Island's Mansion
House. The owners and their guests dined ashore tonight at a banquet in
the grounds of the historic Mansion House.
Jim Pugh, co-designer with John Reichel, reported that Crichton was
delighted with the performance of his newest boat. "She's a rocket,"
Pugh said. "We were hitting speeds of 20 knots on the run up here. We
can fill or empty six tons of water from our ballast tanks in 15 seconds
and we were playing with the trim all the way up here."
Miller graciously conceded the race to Crichton. "Alfa Romeo sailed a
fine race," he said. "We had some trouble at the start but after we got
clear of the harbour we were able to hang to them and even gain at
times."
Miller confirmed that he will be launching a bigger Mari Cha IV. "She's
still under wraps," he said. "You'll have to wait until June to learn
more."
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