Alfa Romeo (yacht)
Encyclopedia
Alfa Romeo can refer to several yacht
s owned by Neville Crichton, the Alfa Romeo
automobile distributor for Australia and New Zealand. In 2003, Crichton was named Yachting New Zealand's "Sailor of the Year" for his accomplishments with yacht Alfa Romeo I.
Alfa Romeo I is a 27.43 metres (90 ft) fixed keel "supermaxi" yacht
, launched 2002, which placed first in the 2002 Sydney-Hobart race and the prestigious 2003 Giraglia Rolex cup
regatta. Alfa Romeo II is a 30 metres (98.4 ft) carbon fiber "supermaxi" racing yacht. First-to-finish in the 2009 Transpacific Yacht Race
("the Transpac"), she also set a new elapsed-time Transpac race record for monohull
s. Alfa Romeo III is a 21 metres (68.9 ft) "mini-maxi" built to compete with other smaller boats in shorter distance races under IRC
rules.
of Alfa Romeo II in the infobox.
, then Rambler) measures 27.43 metres (90 ft) LOA, 5.6 metres (18.4 ft) at the beam
, 4 metres (13.1 ft) draft
. She was designed by Reichel/Pugh
, and built by McConaghy Boats, Sydney
, Australia using carbon fiber composite construction. Southern Spars of Auckland
, New Zealand built her carbon fiber
mast
. She has a fixed bulb keel
. Launched in July 2002, she won the 2003 Giraglia Rolex Cup regatta, considered Europe's most prestigious regatta. She was first to finish in the 2003 Fastnet race
, although she did not win on handicapped
time. In 2002, she was first to finish in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
. She was first to finish in at least 74 races around the world.
. She has been described as the fastest supermaxi monohull
in the world, thought to be capable of 35 kn (42.6 mph; 68.6 km/h) downwind in a fresh breeze. Some of the boat's systems are operated via PLC
s, 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.
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 July 7, 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 nmi (459.2 mi; 738.9 km) in 24 hours. She improved that on both following days; on July 8, 2009, Alfa Romeo II reported 420 nmi (483.3 mi; 777.8 km); on July 9, 2009, she reported 431 nmi (496 mi; 798.2 km). She was first to finish the 2009 Transpac race, in which she set a new elapsed-time record of 5 days, 14 hours, 36 minutes, 20 seconds. She has been first to finish in at least 140 races.
.
She has since been rechristened Esimit Europa 2.
, in red, silver/gray, black and white, with a companionway ladder which resembles the car's grill. Rated as an IRC Mini Maxi, she displaces about 14700 kilograms (32,408 lb). The IRC Mini Maxi division accommodates yachts between 60 to 79 ft (18.3 to 24.1 m) LOA. In September 2008, she was twice first to finish in Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup competition, with Torben Grael
skippering.
Though her LOA is about 9 metres (29.5 ft) shorter than Alfa Romeo II, her beam is comparable, to enhance stiffness, or resistance to heeling, and she carries a long sport-boat type protruding bowsprit from which she sets an asymmetrical spinnaker
. With this "mini-Maxi" Crichton seeks closer competition on the race course. He noted that with only perhaps ten of the supermaxi yachts (potential competitors of Alfa Romeo II) in existence, getting them all on the same race course at the same time had been difficult. The more affordable mini-Maxi, Alfa Romeo III, will engage more competition in stronger fleets.
[Category:New South Wales-built ships]]
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
s owned by Neville Crichton, the Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...
automobile distributor for Australia and New Zealand. In 2003, Crichton was named Yachting New Zealand's "Sailor of the Year" for his accomplishments with yacht Alfa Romeo I.
Alfa Romeo I is a 27.43 metres (90 ft) fixed keel "supermaxi" yacht
Maxi yacht
A maxi yacht usually refers to a racing sailboat of at least in length. It is also a Swedish brand of smaller sailing yachts.-Origin:The term maxi originated with the International Offshore Rule rating system, which in the 1970s and 1980s measured offshore racing yachts and applied a...
, launched 2002, which placed first in the 2002 Sydney-Hobart race and the prestigious 2003 Giraglia Rolex cup
Giraglia
Giraglia is a French island at the northern tip of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea, known for its lighthouse and for the Torra di Giraglia, a Genoese tower which is an Official Historical Monuments of France....
regatta. Alfa Romeo II is a 30 metres (98.4 ft) carbon fiber "supermaxi" racing yacht. First-to-finish in the 2009 Transpacific Yacht Race
Transpacific Yacht Race
The Transpacific Yacht Race is an offshore yacht race starting off Point Fermin, San Pedro, near Los Angeles, and ending off Diamond Head Lighthouse in Honolulu, a distance of around . Started in 1906, it is one of yachting's premier offshore races and attracts entrants from all over the world...
("the Transpac"), she also set a new elapsed-time Transpac race record for monohull
Monohull
rightA monohull is a type of boat having only one hull, unlike multihulled boats which can have two or more individual hulls connected to one another.-Fundamental concept:...
s. Alfa Romeo III is a 21 metres (68.9 ft) "mini-maxi" built to compete with other smaller boats in shorter distance races under IRC
IRC (Sailing)
IRC is a system of handicapping sailboats and yachts for the purpose of racing. It is managed by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in the United Kingdom through their dedicated Rating Office....
rules.
Sponsorship
The Alfa Romeo yachts owned by 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 mainsailMainsail
A mainsail is a sail located behind the main mast of a sailing vessel.On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast....
of Alfa Romeo II in the infobox.
Alfa Romeo I
Alfa Romeo I (later ShockwaveShockwave (yacht)
Shockwave was a 24.4m sail racing yacht built in 2000. At the time of her construction she was the biggest racing yacht in the world. Designed by United States naval architects Reichel/Pugh, the yacht, including the hull, rudder, mast and boom, mainsail and headsails, was made of carbon fibre.On 10...
, then Rambler) measures 27.43 metres (90 ft) LOA, 5.6 metres (18.4 ft) at the beam
Beam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
, 4 metres (13.1 ft) draft
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
. She was designed by Reichel/Pugh
Reichel/Pugh
Reichel/Pugh is a yacht design company based in San Diego, California, USA. It is led by John Reichel and Jim Pugh.Since the late 1990s, Reichel/Pugh-designed yachts have successfully competed in many major races, including the America's Cup...
, and built by McConaghy Boats, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia using carbon fiber composite construction. Southern Spars of Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand built her carbon fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
mast
Mast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
. She has a fixed bulb keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
. Launched in July 2002, she won the 2003 Giraglia Rolex Cup regatta, considered Europe's most prestigious regatta. She was first to finish in the 2003 Fastnet race
Fastnet race
The Fastnet Race is a famous offshore yachting race. It is considered one of the classic offshore races. It takes place every two years over a course of . The race starts off Cowes on the Isle of Wight in England, rounds the Fastnet Rock off the southwest coast of Ireland and then finishes at...
, although she did not win on handicapped
Handicapping
Handicapping, in sport and games, is the practice of assigning advantage through scoring compensation or other advantage given to different contestants to equalize the chances of winning. The word also applies to the various methods by which the advantage is calculated...
time. In 2002, she was first to finish in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, Australia on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart. The race distance is approximately...
. She was first to finish in at least 74 races around the world.
Alfa Romeo II
Alfa Romeo II (later Esimit Europe 2), the largest of the three boats is a "Reichel/Pugh 100" design measuring 30.48 m (100 ft) overall. She features a 44 m (144.4 ft) carbon fiber mast built by Southern Spars, water ballast, and a canting keelCanting keel
A canting keel is a form of sailing ballast, suspended from a rigid canting strut beneath the boat, which can be swung to windward of a boat under sail, in order to counteract the heeling force of the sail...
. She has been described as the fastest supermaxi monohull
Monohull
rightA monohull is a type of boat having only one hull, unlike multihulled boats which can have two or more individual hulls connected to one another.-Fundamental concept:...
in the world, thought to be capable of 35 kn (42.6 mph; 68.6 km/h) downwind in a fresh breeze. Some of the boat's systems are operated via PLC
Programmable logic controller
A programmable logic controller or programmable controller is a digital computer used for automation of electromechanical processes, such as control of machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, or light fixtures. PLCs are used in many industries and machines...
s, automatically stepping up engine speed as power is required to operate the hydraulic ram
Hydraulic cylinder
A Hydraulic cylinder is a mechanical actuator that is used to give a unidirectional force through a unidirectional stroke. It has many applications, notably in engineering vehicles.- Operation :...
actuating the canting keel, or disengaging the propeller when it is retracted into the hull to reduce drag.
2009 Transpac Race
Total crew of about seventeen sailors included Stan Honey, navigator; OlympianOlympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
Ben Ainslie
Ben Ainslie
Charles Benedict Ainslie, CBE is an English sailor and three-times Olympic gold medalist. He started sailing at the age of 8 and first competed at the age of 10...
, English Gold Medalist Finn
Finn (dinghy)
The Finn dinghy is the men's single-handed, cat-rigged Olympic class for sailing. It was designed by Swedish canoe designer, Rickard Sarby, in 1949 for the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki...
sailor of the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
; and members of the Ericcson 4 crew, recently victorious in the Volvo Ocean Race. According to the July 7, 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 nmi (459.2 mi; 738.9 km) in 24 hours. She improved that on both following days; on July 8, 2009, Alfa Romeo II reported 420 nmi (483.3 mi; 777.8 km); on July 9, 2009, she reported 431 nmi (496 mi; 798.2 km). She was first to finish the 2009 Transpac race, in which she set a new elapsed-time record of 5 days, 14 hours, 36 minutes, 20 seconds. She has been first to finish in at least 140 races.
2009 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
In 2009, she was the first to finish the Sydney to Hobart Yacht RaceSydney to Hobart Yacht Race
The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, Australia on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart. The race distance is approximately...
.
She has since been rechristened Esimit Europa 2.
Alfa Romeo III
The Alfa Romeo III measures 21.4 metres (70.2 ft) LOA, 5.08 metres (16.7 ft) beam, and has a 4.8 metres (15.7 ft) draft. As were Alfa Romeo I and Alfa Romeo II, she was also designed by Reichel/Pugh and built by McConaghy Boats; her 31.5 metres (103.3 ft) mast was also built by Southern Spars. She has a conventional fixed bulb keel and was launched in mid-2008. Her interior design is styled after the Alfa Romeo 8C CompetizioneAlfa Romeo 8C Competizione
The Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione is a sports car produced by Italian automaker Alfa Romeo. It was first presented as a concept car at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show and later released for sale for the 2007 model year...
, in red, silver/gray, black and white, with a companionway ladder which resembles the car's grill. Rated as an IRC Mini Maxi, she displaces about 14700 kilograms (32,408 lb). The IRC Mini Maxi division accommodates yachts between 60 to 79 ft (18.3 to 24.1 m) LOA. In September 2008, she was twice first to finish in Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup competition, with Torben Grael
Torben Grael
Torben Schmidt Grael is one of the most well known Brazilian sailors, renowned in international competitions. A descendant of Danes, he was taken sailing by his grandfather at five years old on the sailboat Aileen, of the extinct 6 meter class, which was the boat used by the silver medal winning...
skippering.
Though her LOA is about 9 metres (29.5 ft) shorter than Alfa Romeo II, her beam is comparable, to enhance stiffness, or resistance to heeling, and she carries a long sport-boat type protruding bowsprit from which she sets an asymmetrical spinnaker
Asymmetrical spinnaker
A asymmetrical spinnaker is a recently-developed sail used when sailing downwind; it can be described as a cross between a genoa and a spinnaker. It is asymmetric like a genoa, but, the asymmetrical spinnaker is not attached to the forestay over the full length of its luff, being rigged like a...
. With this "mini-Maxi" Crichton seeks closer competition on the race course. He noted that with only perhaps ten of the supermaxi yachts (potential competitors of Alfa Romeo II) in existence, getting them all on the same race course at the same time had been difficult. The more affordable mini-Maxi, Alfa Romeo III, will engage more competition in stronger fleets.
External links
- 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
[Category:New South Wales-built ships]]