4 days ahead of the previous record
Giovanni Soldini, Italian sailor, skipper of the Maserati Multi70 (formerly Gitana XV Groupe Edmond de Rothschild equipped with foils) set off from Hong Kong on 18th January 2018 in an attempt to beat the Tea Route record, set in 2008 by the 100 foot maxi catamaran, Gitana 13 (skippered by Lionel Lemonchois) in 41 days, 21 hours and 26 minutes. He is accompanied in his challenge by a crew of 4 sailors: Guido Broggi, Sébastien Audigane, Oliver Herrera Perez and Alex Pella.
On February 3, the crew rounded the Cape of Good Hope at 12:20 UTC after 16 days, 1 hour and 37 minutes of sailing. Lionel Lemonchois and his crew had taken 21 days to round Good Hope. It was a symbolic passage on this 13,000 mile (24,000 km) course as they now only have half of the course to complete, i.e. 6,000 miles to London. To beat the record, the 21.20 metre long Maserati Multi 70 trimaran must cross the finish line under the Queen Elizabeth II bridge over the Thames before 1st March.
"It's a beautiful day, with sunshine and wind. We are very happy to arrive here, halfway, even a little more, in sixteen days. It's a great average, great sailing, with a fantastic crew and boat. We hope to continue like this." said Giovanni Soldini.
The Maserati Multi70 crew will now head up the South Atlantic: 3,000 nautical miles from Bonne - Espérance to the equator. The next weather conditions should enable the multihull to take advantage of a steady southerly wind to make its way northwards off the west coast of Africa to reach the SE'ly tradewinds at around 20° S latitude.
From Gitana XV to Maserati Multi70
The Multi70 Maserati is none other than the former Gitana XV Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, one of the seven MOD70s, a one-design, crewed series launched by Franck David and Steeve Ravussin. However, this circuit has been put on stand-by after 3 seasons of sailing and for lack of a title partner. Gitana XV then undergoes improvements (modification of the deck layout, the roof, the sails and above all three rudders with inverted T's which enable the trimaran to gain 2 knots), enabling her to break away from the one-design. She will also be fitted with L-shaped foils in 2015. She is being used to carry out a test campaign for the Gitana Team's ultimate future before being put up for sale. It then becomes the property of Team Maserati in May 2016 and undergoes modifications to take part in numerous races and records.
