SYDNEY - New Zealand super maxi Alfa Romeo swept aside the opposition on her race debut in the opening event in the Hamilton Island race week in the Whitsunday islands yesterday.
Launched only four weeks ago, Neville Crichton's prize craft dominated several smaller but proven grand prix racing yachts.
Tohis surprise, she was also declared handicap winner of the IRC division.
Crichton steered the 30 yacht, with an 805sq m spinnaker, around the 30-nautical mile course in just under two hours.
"It was a fantastic way to start our campaign by taking out the double," Crichton said.
"We have had little time to optimise the boat to its rating, so it was quite a surprise to hear that we have also won on handicap.
"We are really using this regatta as a training event, getting used to complex systems and trying out various configurations," he said.
