Shortly after sunset, under slightly overcast skies and with a light wind, the trimaran Maserati Multi 70 set off from Hong Kong in pursuit of the record set by Gitana 13 in 2008. The official of the World Sail Speed Record Council, l The organization that validates oceanic records, triggered the chronometer at 10, 43 minutes and 23 seconds UTC (18:43 in China, 11:43 in Italy) when Maserati Multi 70 crossed the starting line positioned between the lighthouses of Tai Long Pai and Nga Ying Pal, at the exit of the Tathoong channel, eastern access to the port of Hong Kong.
To beat the record of the maxi catamaran of 32,50 meters Gitana 13 (41 days, 21 hours and 26 minutes) Giovanni Soldini and the crew of the trimaran Maserati Muti 70 21,20 meters long – Guido Broggi, Oliver Herrera Perez, Alex Pella and Sébastien Audigane – must complete the course and cross the finish line under the Queen Elisabeth II Bridge in the Thames Estuary before 1 March at 8, 9 minutes and 47 seconds UTC.
Along 13.000 miles (about 24.000 km) following the shortest great circle route passing through the Cape of Good Hope, the Hong Kong-London route begins with the descent of the South China Sea.
“The weather situation has been very unstable in recent days,” explains Pierre Lasnier, the team router who will follow the record from the ground, “it has cleared up a bit with the latest models. Leaving today, Maserati Multi 70 has the almost certainty of finding an average wind from the North East between 17 and 18 knots of intensity for the next three days, enough to drop to 5°N, therefore under the southern tip of Vietnam. However, it will not be possible to make a direct course, it will be necessary to tack with the wind in the sails to go down towards the South.
“Finally we set off”, declares Giovanni Soldini, the skipper of Maserati Multi 70. “It was difficult to make this decision because the weather situation is not ideal but we don't see any other possible useful windows in the next few days. Technically speaking, there is currently a windless bubble at the Equator that we will have to cross. Let's hope conditions change once we get there and they're kind to us. The first few days we will do our best to stay in deep water, but there is more wind near the coast, near Vietnam, so we will try to find compromises between the need to go fast and attention to the myriads of nets and small boats of the local fishermen they don't even have street lights. The boat is ready, we are ready and we will always try to give our best.”
Same enthusiasm and desire to sail in the words of the Spanish Alex Pella who, despite having sailed on Maserati Multi 70 during several transfers, competes 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, away from home. Now we'll give it our all!"
To follow the challenge live, visit the cartography on maserati.soldini.it/
