The Gentleman Magazine Issue 7 | February 2018 | Page 57
GIOVANNI SOLDINI AND TEAM MASERATI MULTI 70
LESS THAN 300 NAUTICAL MILES FROM SUNDA STRAIT
After four days, they have sailed 1,635 nm at an average speed
of 18.9 knots and gained a 468 miles lead over the previous
record
After leaving on 18 January to attempt to break the sailing
record between Hong Kong and London, the trimaran Maserati
Multi 70 is now located between the islands of Borneo to the
West and Sumatra to the East. The Sunda Strait, gateway to the
Indian Ocean, is now less than 300 miles south.
Giovanni Soldini and Maserati Multi 70's crew - Guido
Broggi, Oliver Herrera Perez, Alex Pella and Sébastien
Audigane – crossed the Equator this morning at 03:13 UTC.
After almost four days of navigation, today at 07:04 UTC, the
cartography indicates they have travelled the first 1,408 miles
of the theoretical route at an average speed of 16.2 knots. A
total distance of 1,635 nm at an average speed of 18.9 knots,
gaining a 468 nm lead over the reference time set by Lionel
Lemonchois, Gitana 13's skipper.
“The spirit is high on board. We are all concentrated and
motivated”, says Giovanni Soldini, skipper of Maserati Multi
70. “Compared to the routing simulations we made at the start,
we gained about fifteen hours. We passed the worst area of
the light winds bubble yesterday. Then, in order to stay in the
pressure, we had to keep on jibing towards the Sunda Strait
where we should arrive in about 15 hours (around 22:00 UTC
on 22 January).”
“Then, after the Strait”, explains Soldini, ”we will have to see
how we will manage to catch the south east trade winds in the
Indian Ocean. We know the route is still very long but it would
be an ideal situation to get there with a lead on the record,
because we also know that Lionel Lemonchois pushed hard on
the first four days across the Indian Ocean.”
Alex Pella explains: “Navigation on board Maserati Multi 70 is
continuing across the incredible China Sea. It is a real slalom
between islands, reefs, atolls, merchant ships and fishing
vessels, which are not always well marked. It's fun from the
point of view of pure navigation but it's not always easy. We
still have two difficult passages to deal with before entering the
Indian Ocean. We crossed the equator last night and we are
going on with super conditions, stable winds from the north, a
flat sea and summer heat.”
To beat the record set in 2008 by Lionel Lemonchois on board
of the 100 footer maxi catamaran Gitana 13 (41 days, 21 hours
and 26 minutes), the 21.20 metre trimaran Maserati Multi 70
must complete the 13,000 nautical mile route and cross the
finish line under the Queen Elizabeth II bridge on the Thames
before 1 March.
To follow the challenge live, visit the cartography on maserati.
soldini.it/cartography/
The Gentleman Magazine | 57