28 December 2009 / AP, HOBART, AUSTRALIA
Leader Alfa Romeo reached the halfway point in the Sydney to Hobart race on Sunday as the line honors contenders encountered light winds and the prospect of a slow sail to the finish on the island of Tasmania.
Alfa Romeo, skippered by New Zealander Neville Crichton and taking advantage of an early breeze that his competitors failed to catch, held a 16-nautical-mile (20-mile, 32-kilometer) lead over British entry ICAP Leopard about 30 hours into the race. Wild Oats XI, which is trying to win line honors for the fifth consecutive time, was in third, 20 nautical miles (24 miles, 37 kilometers) behind the leader in the race which covers 628 nautical miles (723 miles, 1,163 kilometers). The prospect of little wind on the field’s approach to Flinders Island and the Tasmanian coast meant the winner could finish as late as Tuesday.
