11:10 AM Mon 28 Dec 2009 GMT
She led from the first mark in the 628 nautical mile 2009 Rolex Sydney Hobart race and just before 21:00 on Monday night the 28th December, Neville Crichton's Reichel Pugh 100 Alfa Romeo powered past the Iron Pot close hauled on port tack. She was doing 12-13 knots, in a west, north westerly with spray coming over her bow.
As she closed on Taroona, powering along with a code zero, she hit a wind hole with almost zero breeze but her momentum kept her going. Still seven miles from the finish line, she bore away and found more pressure as she slid towards Sandy Bay. She was soon back at full pace, 14-15 knots, abeam of the Casino.
Tacking across towards John Garrow Shoal, she crossed the line to a cacophony of horns at 22:00:50, in an elapsed time of two days nine hours and fifty seconds.
As she crossed, Bob Oatley's Wild Oats XI who had been aiming for a fifth line honours win in a row, was still sailing across Storm Bay, nine miles south east of Iron Pot and 20 nautical miles from the finish line, while Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard was another 20 miles further back, just inside Tasman Island.
The same McConaghy built boat that was beaten by Bob Oatley's Wild oats XI in 2005 by less than 30 minutes, now has her revenge.
For Alfa Romeo this has been an expensive campaign; a new four spreader Southern Spars mast, new high tech North sails, 3DL and 3Di, a new stainless steel keel and high density tungsten bulb - but now Crichton has proven he has the fastest ocean racing supermaxi in the world.
by Rob Kothe
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