Today though Neville is the skipper of the world’s fastest racing yacht – an awesome blend of technology and maritime progress. When he raises his menacingly dark carbon-fibre sails – higher and wider than anyone else – and the sails fill with wind, looking so much like an imperious sergeant-major with his chest puffed out on the parade ground as they grab the wind – he strikes fear into the hearts of the other yacht crews that line up in his shadow with foolish pretensions to take his crown. They know when Alfa Romeo shows up at a Regatta, the game is on and that Neville, king of the high seas, ruler of a domain that few can tame – or even try to—is at the helm for one purpose only: to win.

“Today we will be testing and checking a number of sails,” Neville tells us. Not just for this race, but with the Supermaxi ‘World Cup’ Regatta coming up in Sardinia shortly after the Fastnet concludes, they will be evaluating sails for this event as well, he adds. It must be mentioned again that these sails are made from carbon-fibre – cutting edge technology bursts from every pore on this boat. “The carbon sails don’t stretch,” Murray tells me, “this means that they don’t fill out in the wind and this puts additional stresses on the mast, rigging and hull.”

Carbon fibre sails were introduced around five years ago, and dramatically cut down on weight. Alfa Romeo’s 44-metre high mainsail weighs around 220 kilos compared to 500 kilos of a conventional alternative. A modern racing yacht is at the very pinnacle of advanced evolutionary thinking in the areas of aerodynamics and fluid dynamics, it is literally a ‘floating physics lab’.

We circle to the east of the Isle of Wight. This is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and the skyline is dominated by one hulking, rusting cargo ship after another, huge lumbering beasts of burden that tower above Alfa Romeo as she stretches her legs on the waters which sparkle in the afternoon sunshine. The contrast is like an elephant and a gazelle. We are impressed by the slowly-moving monsters of the deep oceans that fleetingly tower above us as they make their way steadily to the many cargo ports along this stretch of coastline, and their crews momentarily crowd the rails to stare at Alfa Romeo in all her glory as she glides past. However the well drilled crew on our yacht seem oblivious to the dramatic sights around them, as they carry out their tasks with clockwork precision, never looking up.

After what seems an age of sails chasing up and down the masts we are suddenly sailing with some ferocity – or at least ferocious to us! Michael Coxon, the Chief Strategist is in charge of the action on the boat, although Neville who is the helmsman, has the final say. Coxon, who is referred to as “Cocko”, constantly shouts instructions as he traverses the length of the boat in an almost constant motion. We get used to ‘gybing’ (downwind with the spinnaker, tacking – up wind with headsails ), which is counted down with precision before everyone rushes from one side of the boat to the other – although with our ‘land legs’ the process is anything but graceful.

The yacht can tilt up to 22 degrees and according to the many LCD screens which are scattered across the boat we are regularly hitting a 20 degree tilt. It’s hard to describe as a non-sailor just how steep this actually feels in reality, and with our feet dangling over the side of the yacht, we race smoothly through the sea and feel just a fleeting glimpse of the rush, and experience the excitement, that makes these tough men dedicate their lives to being the fastest and best on the water.
 

In amongst the swages of advanced technology ‘Cocko’ suddenly appears with a large plastic protractor attached to a battered piece of card – it’s a brief reminder of a bygone age, that although the technology on board Alfa Romeo looks like its out of a ‘Space Shuttle’, the overriding romantic principles of man and the ocean, the winds, waves and stars, are still the same.

Neville handles the helm with aplomb; he is regarded as being at the top of his game in the business. In this sport you have to earn respect, you cannot buy it. This is a life and death adventure – your survival can depend on the ability of each member of the team. The crew respect - and love him. He’s a winner, ‘the best helmsman around’ as one key figure says – and he puts his money where his mouth is. And all the main crew members seem to have been sailing with him for years.

Other big players on-board include the navigator, Will Oxley, who walks around the deck with a touch screen wildly flashing up digital maps and charts. Lance and Andrew are down below deck in the ‘sewer’ prepping sales for use and tidying up those that have been used; the trimmers are David, Noel, Glen and Tony; and the ‘Traveller’ (whatever that is) is Stuart. Each member of the 24-man team is the best in his field. They quite simply have to be. There are no prisoners taken in the Fastnet race; it’s a challenge for only the very best. The 608 mile race - held bi-annually – pits man and yacht against vicious elements, high winds and rapidly changing tides in a non-stop battle, which rewards the skilled tactician and experienced sailor.

Late afternoon and we’re invited to transfer to the RIB to film Alfa Romeo. The tiny RIB has been following us all day, bobbing at a discreet distance, and now – on a radio command – it closes in. Murray tells us we will have to ‘jump’ across – “it’s how we transfer,” he says, forgetting that he has passengers onboard who aren’t exactly surefooted at sea. The yacht doesn’t slow down. The ‘transfer’ is completed without personal embarrassment – the waters rushing below us look very cold and inhospitable.

Switching from Alfa Romeo to the RIB is like going from a Rolls-Royce to a pogo-stick. And a pretty rough pogo-stick at that. As we crash over the waves we realise the sheer stability of Alfa Romeo, as she simply takes the elements in her stride, swatting nature’s challenges disdainfully aside. Her graceful and steadfast motion is enhanced by her beautiful carbon fibre sails, now full of wind. Semi-translucent with their fine carbon-fibre twill they glisten superbly as the afternoon sun sets in. Their fine yet functional beauty is comparable to that of a dragonfly’s wing, which in this case is silhouetted by the Alfa Romeo legend in blood red.

As our day comes to a close Murray asks us if we would like to watch the start of tomorrow’s “Round the Island Race” up-close from the RIB. Do bears defecate in the woods? He tells us that the will be leaving the Gosport quay at 8AM sharp and won’t be waiting for any reason – so we best be on time. If you ever want to know the real meaning of “left at the dock” just show up late for a departure with a professional sailing team. Neville is punctual and wants to be fully prepared. We are – just on time – as the Hampshire roads were flooded and a detour was called for. However the Fiat Bravo T-Jet we are using is an admirable performer and whisks us to the jetty in the nick of time.

by Edd Ellison