Summary
Alfa Romeo II (rechristened Black Jack IV) is a maxi yacht designed in 2005 by Reichel/Pugh for yachtsman Neville Crichton. First-to-finish in the 2009 Transpacific Yacht Race ("the Transpac"), she also set a new elapsed-time Transpac race record[2][3] for monohulls.
 Alfa Romeo II on her first sail. | |
| Other names | Black Jack IV |
|---|---|
| Designer(s) | Reichel/Pugh |
| Builder | McConaghy Sydney, Australia |
| Launched | 2005 |
| Owner(s) | Neville Crichton Igor Simčič |
| Racing career | |
| Notable victories | 2009 Transpac 2009 Sydney–Hobart (l.h.) |
| Specifications | |
| Type | maxi yacht |
| Length | 30.48 m (100.0 ft) (LOA) |
| Beam | 5.19 m (17.0 ft) |
| Draft | 5.08 m (16.7 ft) |
| Sail area | mainsail 314 m2 (3,380 sq ft) genoa 208 m2 (2,240 sq ft) asymmetrical spinnaker 805 m2 (8,660 sq ft)[1] |
Alfa Romeo II is a "Reichel/Pugh 100" design measuring 30.48 m (100.0 ft) overall.[4] She features a 44 m (144 ft)[5] carbon fibre mast built by Southern Spars, water ballast, and a canting keel. She is thought to be capable of 35 knots (40 mph; 60 km/h) downwind in a fresh breeze.[6] Some of the boat's systems are operated via PLCs, automatically stepping up engine speed as power is required to operate the hydraulic ram actuating the canting keel, or disengaging the propeller when it is retracted into the hull to reduce drag.[7]
History edit
2009 Transpac Race edit
Total crew of about seventeen sailors included Stanley Honey, navigator; Olympian Ben Ainslie, English Gold Medalist Finn sailor of the 2008 Summer Olympics; and members of the Ericcson 4 crew, recently victorious in the Volvo Ocean Race. According to the 7 July 2009 morning report, Alfa Romeo II broke the Transpac race record for most miles covered in one day, set in the 2005 race by Morning Glory, by sailing 399 nautical miles (459 mi; 739 km) in 24 hours.[3][8] She improved that on both following days; on 8 July 2009, Alfa Romeo II reported 420 nautical miles (480 mi; 780 km);[9] on 9 July 2009, she reported 431 nautical miles (496 mi; 798 km).[10] She was first to finish the 2009 Transpac race, in which she set a new elapsed-time record[2][3] of 5 days, 14 hours, 36 minutes, 20 seconds.[11] She has been first to finish in at least 140 races.[12]
2009 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race edit
In 2009, she was the first to finish the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.[13]
Sponsorship edit
The Alfa Romeo yachts owned by Neville Crichton are sponsored by Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. of Turin, Italy. They own the Alfa Romeo name and other intellectual properties such as logos, emblems (used on Alfa Romeo III), and manner of depicting the name as shown on the mainsail of Alfa Romeo II in the infobox.
In 2006 the team is also sponsored by SLAM, an Italian company producer of technical sailing sportswear, that provides the team of technical clothing.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "ALFA ROMEO 2". JamesList.com. Archived from the original on 9 January 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
- ^ a b Unattributed (10 July 2009). "Alfa Romeo Poised For New Race Record". Alfa Romeo Maxi Yacht. Alfa Romeo Yacht Racing Team. Archived from the original on 8 October 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2009. This reference clearly points out that it is the 100-foot (30 m) boat which raced in the 2009 Transpac. The boat is actually 98.4 feet (30.0 m) long; its design is called a "Reichel/Pugh 100." For reference to the boat consummating the new record, see Transpac race news Archived 2009-07-05 at archive.today.
- ^ a b c Rowe, Edward (11 July 2009). "Sydney Hobart favourite Alfa Romeo smashes Transpac Race record". Sail-World.com. TetraMedia Pty.Ltd. Retrieved 17 July 2009. Scroll to page bottom; shows Alfa Romeo II major victories, including 2009 Transpac finish.
- ^ She was designed as a 98ft yacht but was later extended to 100ft to measure at the upper bound of the new 2008 maxi rating rule
- ^ Unattributed. "New Super Maxi 'Alfa Romeo' Set To Smash Records". Alfa Romeo Yacht Racing Team. Archived from the original on 21 September 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2009. (Shows mast height and other dimensions of Alfa Romeo II)
- ^ Hanlon, Mike (14 July 2005). "The technology behind the new superyachts". gizmag.com. p. 2. Retrieved 6 July 2009.
- ^ "Alfa Romeo II". Sail-World NZL. www.kiwispy.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2009. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Lynn (7 July 2009). "Transpac race milestones". Transpacific Yacht Club. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2009. (Distance covered from 6 am day preceding to 6 am day of report)
- ^ Race Committee aboard Alaska Eagle communications vessel (8 July 2009). "Daily Standings July 8, 2009". 2009 Transpac Race. Transpacific Yacht Club. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
- ^ Race Committee aboard Alaska Eagle communications vessel (9 July 2009). "Daily Standings July 9, 2009". 2009 Transpac Race. Transpacific Yacht Club. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Lynn (11 July 2009). "Alfa Romeo Smashes Transpac Record by a Day". Finish reports. Transpacific Yacht Club. Archived from the original on 5 July 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2009. Alfa Romeo II is a monohull and set a new monohull elapsed time record. She came within about five hours of breaking the multihull elapsed time record 5d, 9h, 18m set in 1997 by Bruno Peyron with his Commodore Explorer.
- ^ Unattributed (13 July 2008). "Neville Crichton 'Changes Gears' With Mini Maxi Alfa Romeo III". Alfa Romeo Yacht Racing Team. Archived from the original on 8 October 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2009. This reference cites 139 1st-to-finish races; the 2009 Transpac marks #140.
- ^ Unattributed (28 December 2009). "Alfa Romeo takes line honours". Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Archived from the original on 31 December 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
External links edit
- Alfa Romeo Yacht Racing Team site
- Alfa Romeo Yacht Racing Team news releases
- Alfa Romeo II build details
- 2009 Transpac race crew list
- Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup Victory in Sardinia
- Giraglia Rolex Cup promotional information
- Alfa Romeo II demonstrating speed at Malta Rolex Middle Sea Race 2006
- Deck layout and detail photos of Alfa Romeo II