International supermaxi Alfa Romeo II has the waterline length to overshadow other entrants in the Coastal Classic beginning on Friday but owner Neville Crichton hopes it will be the yacht's speed that really stands out.
The Kiwi expatriate will compete in his first Coastal Classic race this weekend in hisimpressive 30.4m supermaxi, believed to be one of the fastest monohulls actively racing.
Alfa Romeo II took its 141st line honours victory and set a race record in America's toughest yacht sailing event, the Transpac (Los Angeles to Hawaii) race in July before returning to Southern Hemisphere waters to prepare for the Coastal Classic.
It will be racing the clock in the 220km race from Auckland to Russell hoping to beat not only the monohull record set in 2005 by fellow supermaxi Zana Konica Minolta (8h 29m 50s), but also the overall race record set in 1996, of 7h 20m 51s.
Crichton said the crew were eager to push for the race record, but to have any chance they would need the weather to co-operate.
"We'd love to have a crack at the race record but the weather gods control that, if you haven't got the right weather it doesn't matter how well you sail, we need a good breeze to break the record," he said.
Alfa Romeo II will not be the only one with an eye on the record. Six-times Coastal Classic winner, Split Enz - the boat that set that astonishing record in 1996 - is returning to New Zealand for the first time in 10 years.
When Alfa Romeo II set a race record from LA to Hawaii earlier this year, it achieved an average boatspeed of slightly more than 16 knots - almost identical to the pace Split Enz set when breaking the record for the Coastal Classic race in 1996. These numbers leave the outcome in this Friday's famous yacht race wide open for speculation, says Coastal Classic spokesperson Jon Vincent.
"It could be very close. On one hand, Alfa Romeo has the size to deliver top performance in all conditions. But given the right conditions, a number of the multihulls can easily sustain speeds in excess of 20 knots. However, they depend on exactly the right conditions to do so," said Vincent.
