Alfa Romeo III

Alfa Romeo III
Other names Shockwave
Designer(s) Reichel/Pugh
Builder McConaghy
Sydney, Australia
Launched 2008
Owner(s) Neville Crichton
Racing career
Skippers Torben Grael
Notable victories 2014 Bermuda Race (l.h.)
Specifications
Hull type Monohull
Length 21.4 m (70 ft) (LOA)
Beam 5.08 m (16.7 ft)
Draft 4.8 m (16 ft)

Alfa Romeo III (later Shockwave) is a 21-metre (69 ft) "mini-maxi" built to compete with other smaller boats in shorter distance races under IRC rules.[1]

The Alfa Romeo III measures 21.4 metres (70 ft) LOA, 5.08 metres (16.7 ft) beam, and has a 4.80-metre (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-metre (103 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 Competizione, in red, silver/gray, black and white, with a companionway ladder which resembles the car's grill.[2] Rated as an IRC Mini Maxi, she displaces about 14,700 kilograms (32,400 lb). The IRC Mini Maxi division accommodates yachts between 60 to 79 feet (18 to 24 m) LOA. In September 2008, she was twice first to finish in Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup competition, with Torben Grael skippering.[1][3]

Though her LOA is about 9 metres (30 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[4] fleets.[1] She has since been bought by George Sakellaris and named Shockwave

Shockwave took line honors by completing the 635 nm 2014 Bermuda Race in a time of time was 63h 04m 11s. The win adds to Shockwave’s list of victories, including a division win in the 2012 Bermuda Race, the 2013 Montego Bay, and the 2014 RORC Caribbean 600 Race.[5]

Sponsorship

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.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Unattributed. "Neville Crichton 'Changes Gears' With Mini Maxi Alfa Romeo III". Alfa Romeo Maxi Yacht. Alfa Romeo Yacht Racing Team. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  2. ↑ Alfa Romeo III interior photos.
  3. ↑ Unattributed (10 September 2008). "Promising Start For New Alfa Romeo 3". Alfa Romeo Yacht Racing Team. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  4. ↑ "Stronger" in the sense of a greater number of individual entries of similar types
  5. ↑ http://bermudarace.com/shockwave-wins-line-honors-fleet-drifts/

External links