9:35 PM Sat 26 Dec 2009 GMT
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'Alfa Romeo (Neville Crichton, NZL) has led the 2009 Rolex Sydney Hobart, since the first turning mark.'
© Rolex/Daniel Forster
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As the 2009 Rolex Sydney Hobart leaders pass Montague Island they are sailing into a lighter southerly breeze and very soft winds in the top half of Bass Strait.
At 0630 Neville's Crichton Reichel Pugh 100 Alfa Romeo was just leading the fleet with Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard abeam of her, three miles seawards.
The Mark Richards skippered Wild Oats XI was a surprising five miles astern. "They actually look quite nice from this angle," Alfa Romeo's navigator Tom Addis reported to tongue in cheek early this morning to the Rolex Media Centre.
"Right now we are dribbling along under our upwind code zero (an oversize, lightweight furling headsail), in 6kts of breeze."
The softening conditions will make the day difficult for Mike Slade and his crew on the GBR 00 footer ICAP Leopard. Leopard is ten tonnes lighter than her main rivals and is likely to be sticky in the soft conditions.
Ian 'Fresh' Burns, co-navigator on Wild Oats XI reported "Alfa was going really well upwind in the stronger stuff. The fact we will head back into the light stuff gives us a bit of a chance," Burns said. "It's pretty light, between 6 and 10 knots and quite variable. The seas are flatter now - it was a little rough at times last night.
"We had quite a few wind shifts and some big lulls, and at one stage the guys behind, R?N and Lahana, ran almost up to us.
"Leopard is doing a great job for a big boat in the lighter wind, but the race hasn't really started yet.the hard part..that will be today."
Matt Allen's Volvo 70 Ichi Ban has also had a very good night, keeping in touch with the highly fancied R?N in conditions that have better suited the British boat. Ichi Ban is currently sitting behind R?N both on line and on the current IRC handicap score sheet. "Ichi Ban had a good night, we managed to keep pace with R?N and gain some height offshore," said navigator Conrad Humphreys this morning. "We're well placed in the current. Bass Strait looking very light ahead of us though."
Will Oxley, the navigator on Geoff Ross' Farr 55 Yendys reported 'Very variable conditions last night. It was very slow for a while in rain, then there was a good left shift. The boats offshore from us (Ray Robert's Cookson 50 Evolution and Rob Hanna's Shogun) a bit of a concern at present.
'We are looking to hook into some good current soon.
'Bass Strait looks like a minefield so a very long race ahead with lots of snakes and ladders I'd say.'
by Jim Gale & Sail-World.com
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