Modena, 18 January 2018 - Shortly after the sunset in China, under a cloudy sky and with light winds, the trimaran Maserati Multi 70 left Hong Kong in search of the record set by Gitana 13 in 2008. The World Sail Speed Record Council official, the organization that validates the oceanic records, has triggered the stopwatch at 10: 43' 23'' UTC (18:43 in China, 11:43 in Italy) when Maserati Multi 70 crossed the starting line positioned between the Tai Long Pai and Nga Ying Pal lights, at the exit of the Tathoong canal, eastern access to the Hong Kong harbour.
To beat the record set by the 105 feet maxi catamaran (41 days, 21 hours and 26 minutes) Giovanni Soldini and the crew of the 70 feet trimaran Maserati Multi - Guido Broggi, Oliver Herrera Perez, Alex Pella and Sébastien Audigane - have to complete the course and cross the finish line under the Queen Elizabeth II bridge over the Thames before the 1st of March at 8: 9' 47'' UTC.
Along the 13,000 miles course (about 24,000 kilometres) following the shortest orthodromic route passing by the Cape of Good Hope, the Hong Kong-London route begins with a run down the South China Sea. "The weather situation has been very unstable in these last days, explains Pierre Lasnier, the routeur who will follow the record on land. According to the latest models, it's getting clearer. Starting today, Maserati Multi 70 is almost certain to find an average wind of NE between 17 and 18 knots of speed for the next three days, enough to get down to 5°N, under the southern point of Vietnam. But, they will not be able to sail on the direct route, they will have to make several gybes downwind to go towards South."
"Finally we are off ", says Giovanni Soldini, skipper of Maserati Multi 70." It was a tough decision to make because the weather situation is not ideal but we do not see any other useful windows in the coming days. From the technical point of view, at the moment at the Equator, there is a bubble with no wind that we will have to cross. We hope that the conditions change once we'll get there and be kind to us. During the first days we will do our best to stay in deep water, but there is more wind near the Vietnamese coasts, so we will try to find compromises between the need to go fast and the attention to pay at the myriad of networks and boats of local fishermen who do not even have navigation lights. The boat is ready, we are motivated and we will always try to give our best. "
The same enthusiasm and desire to navigate in the words of the Spanish Alex Pella who is well acquainted with the Maserati Multi 70 and his team, but races for the first time on board the trimaran: "We are all super happy and motivated, the stand-by periods are always complicated and stressful, especially in Hong Kong, far from home. Before the start we never know when we will leave, now we are here, it's up to us."
To follow the challenge live, visit the cartography on maserati.soldini.it/cartography/
The challenge is supported by Maserati, the main sponsor that gives the name to the trimaran and Aon as co-sponsor, along with the official supplier for the clothing, Ermenegildo Zegna.
A special thanks also to Boero Bartolomeo S.p.A. and Contship Italia Group.
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Photo courtesy of Pitsfoto
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