Alfa Romeo wins Sydney to Hobart yacht race

HOBART, Australia — New Zealand maxi Alfa Romeo won the Sydney to Hobart yacht race Monday, completing a start-to-finish victory and relegating four-time and defending champion Wild Oats XI to second place.

Alfa Romeo, skippered by Neville Crichton, crossed the finish line at Constitution Dock in Hobart, the capital of the island state of Tasmania, in an official time of 2 days, 9 hours, 2 minutes, well off the race record because of light winds.

Wild Oats XI, which holds the record of 1 day, 18 hours, 40 minutes, set in 2005, finished second. Wild Oats XI was 2 hours, 3 minutes behind Alfa Romeo.

British yacht ICAP Leopard, which had been in second place for most of the race, finished third early Tuesday morning, nearly eight hours behind the winner.

Crichton won the 2002 race with another yacht named Alfa Romeo. He also finished second to Wild Oats in 2005 with his current boat.

“It was nice to come back and beat them,” Crichton said. “We’ve got the best crew in the world. This race is the ultimate, a good one to have on your resume.”

It was the 143rd line honors win for Crichton in his newest yacht. He said he would not defend his Sydney to Hobart title next year because he is scheduled to race in Europe.

Alfa Romeo led the 100-yacht fleet out of Sydney Harbour on Saturday and never relinquished the lead. The New Zealand yacht made it interesting in the final hours, though, when its lead of about 23 miles was trimmed to 14 by Wild Oats XI and skipper Mark Richards.

Alfa Romeo re-established a sizable lead at the end, crossing the finish line to the sounds of the horns of nearby yachts in the harbor and cheers from spectators on shore.

At the back of the fleet Monday, the smaller, slower boats were finding no breeze in the normally challenging Bass Strait. The calm conditions were forcing some skippers to restrict food and drink, while the slowest boats could face New Year’s Eve at sea.