Yachting: Runner-up gracious in defeat

Alfa Romeo skipper Neville Crichton. Photo / Rolex

Defeated Wild Oats XI skipper Mark Richards wanted to be a good loser after being such a great winner of the past four Sydney to Hobart line honours titles.

He steered Wild Oats past ICAP Leopard to second across the line at 2.05am (NZT) yesterday.

She had slashed her deficit to New Zealand race winner Alfa Romeo from 32 nautical miles to 11 at one stage in his late charge on a record fifth consecutive line honours title.

"It's no different to any sport," said Richards.

"You can't always win and it's good for the sport that someone else does win every now and then and we gave it our best shot.

"You've got to be a good winner as well as a good loser.

"Well done to Alfa Romeo, they did a fantastic job."

Richards defended his decision to cut his crew from 24 last year to 18 to save more than a tonne in weight.

"It was great decision that didn't hamper the effort one little bit," he said, adding he'll back next year with Wild Oats. Richards said Alfa Romeo, an almost identical yacht, had a slight advantage up wind at the start.

"But we never had a look in really," he said.

"They had a little advantage on us the first night and the next morning we were in a big parking lot together and they got out first and put 20 miles on us before we knew what had happened."

The winner of just about every other offshore race in the world, Alfa Romeo caught the breeze in waters off the NSW/Victoria border on the first morning to elude her rivals.

But Alfa's skipper Neville Crichton downplayed its significance. "We were in front at that stage and that wasn't what did it ... it wasn't just one puff that did it, I can assure you," he said.

Alfa Romeo crossed the line at 12.02am, completing the slow 630 nautical mile voyage (1170km) in two days, nine hours, two minutes and 10 seconds. Wild Oats XI defeated Alfa Romeo in 2005 in the race record time of one day, 18 hours, 40 minutes and 10 seconds. ICAP Leopard was third.

- AAP