News
July 18, 2019, 1300
At 3.56 51” on July 18th local time (13.56 51” UTC, 15.56 51” Italian time) Maserati Multi 70 crossed the finish line of the 50th edition of the Transpacific Yacht Race (Transpac) off Diamond Head, Honolulu, Hawaii. Giovanni Soldini and his Team arrived with an elapsed time of 4 days, 18 hours, 26 minutes and 51 seconds.
The American MOD 70 Argo crossed first the finish line, at 20.50 32” on July 17th local time (on July 18th at 6.50 32” UTC and 8.50 32” Italian time), with an elapsed time of 4 days, 11 hours, 20 minutes and 32 seconds. The English trimaran PowerPlay followed shortly after, at 21.21 50” local time (July 18th 7.21 50” UTC and 9.21 50” Italian time), concluding the race with an elapsed time of 4 days, 11 hours, 51 minutes and 50 seconds. The multihull record, set in 2017 by ORMA 60 Mighty Merloe, of 4 days, 6 hours, 32 minutes and 30 seconds, remains undefeated.
Aboard Maserati Multi 70 was an international crew: with skipper Giovanni Soldini, the Italians Alberto Bona, Guido Broggi and Matteo Soldini; the Spanish Carlos Hernandez Robayna and Oliver Herrera Perez; the French François Robert.
Maserati Multi 70 and its competitors, set sail from Pt. Fermin, Los Angeles on Saturday July 13th at 12.30 local time (19.30 UTC, 21.30 Italian time), ready for a 2225-mile-long ocean crossing.
The race start was difficult for Maserati Multi 70: the weather models suggested a northern route, to sail around a low pressure zone with 3-6 knots of wind, before reaching the trade wind, stable around 17 knots. Unfortunately the centre of the depression moved south 3 hours later than anticipated, blocking the way for the Italian trimaran while Argo was able to pass by just a few miles. PowerPlay, who was only 5 miles behind the American trimaran, got stuck in the low pressure and Argo was able to gain 100 miles of advantage.
Once it reached the trade wind, Maserati Multi 70’s Team started chasing its competitors, with full main and gennaker, but shortly after a serious accident forced them to slow down. Around 4.30 UTC on Monday July 15th Maserati Multi 70 hit an unidentified object. Giovanni Soldini, just landed, explained: «The left side bow hit a huge floating object and we immediately went from 24 to 0 knots! The debris then hit the side rudder: the fuse system worked, the rudder rotated horizontally, but the object was at least one meter high above the water and it ripped off the outer half of the rudder’s wing. In the impact we also lost the left steering rod».
The Italian Team had to stop for one hour, to assess the extent of the damage and to get the rudder system back in use: thanks to the fuse system, the rudder’s blade and bushings were unharmed. «Once we set sail again,» continues Giovanni Soldini, «we weren’t able to reach the same speed as before: without the rudder’s foil it was difficult to fly steadily and every time the left bow hit the water we slowed down. We tried everything we could but it was impossible to go faster than 25 knots and our competitors, sailing an average 3 knots faster, outdistanced us».
Giovanni Soldini and his crew are pleased with Maserati Multi 70’s performance nonetheless: «We’re super happy about the long steps forward we made with the latest changes, the rudders’ settings that we developed in the last months, work very well and we’re able to fly much steadier. On port tack we reached an average speed of 30 knots and we were able to fly for very long distances, we sailed 670 miles over the last 24 hours!»
Over the coming weeks Maserati Multi 70’s Team will be working to repair the damages suffered during the race.
July 17, 2019, 0700
Giovanni Soldini and Maserati Multi 70 gybed, at 12 UTC on Wednesday July 17th, two days and a half after the start of the 50th edition of the Transpac, and they are now flying on port tack, at an average speed of 30 knots, towards the finish line in Honolulu.
The Italian trimaran had to sail a long starboard tack, on the hull that was hit by a big floating object at 4.30 UTC on July 15th: because of the damages, it was impossible to reach an average speed higher than 25 knots, well below Maserati Multi 70’s full potential.
Giovanni Soldini explained: «Without the left rudder’s foil, it’s really difficult to control Maserati Multi 70’s longitudinal trim: the trimaran tends to rear up before falling back in the water just like a wild horse, and the speed is obviously affected by it».
The manoeuvres aboard the Italian trimaran are complicated: one of the side hull’s steering rods was lost in the impact, so every time the Team gybes, the steering rod has to be taken off one side and assembled on the other side, further complicating the operations aboard.
The positions updated at 8 UTC, before the last gybe, show Maserati Multi 70 782 miles away from the finish line, more than a hundred miles behind PowerPlay, with 655 miles to go, and Argo, with 602 miles ahead of it: the disadvantage is not small, but the Italian trimaran’s Team is not giving up and will fight to the end.
July 16, 2019, 1700
Giovanni Soldini and Maserati Multi 70, at 4.30 UTC on Monday July 15th, while sailing at 23-24 knots, collided with a big floating object that damaged the left side hull's bow and the rudder's wing.
Giovanni Soldini explained: "We couldn't understand what it was, but it was very big, at least one meter high out of the water. It hit the left side hull with great force, severely damaging it, then it glided along the hull and hit the rudder. The fuse system worked, but the object was so big that we lost the outer half of the wing. We had to stop for one hour: we took off the wing completely so we could use the rudder's blade. Now we're sailing with the bow out of the water using the foil: we're waiting for the light to arrive to do a thorough inspection of the side hull - which has 7 watertight bulkheads - to check if there are any holes."
Maserati Multi 70’s Team and their competitors, MOD 70s Argo and PowerPlay and the trimaran Paradox, set sail from Los Angeles on Saturday July 13th at 12.30 local time (19.30 UTC, 21.30 Italian time) for the 50th edition of the Transpac. In an attempt to sail around the low pressure bubble of light wind, Maserati Multi 70 opted for a northern route, but the conditions expected according to the models occurred a few hours late and the Italian trimaran was delayed.
According to the positions updated at 4.00 UTC, Argo was sailing in first place at 26 knots, 1680 miles from the finish line in Honolulu, followed 100 miles behind by PowerPlay, sailing at 27 knots. Maserati Multi 70 was following at 27 knots, with 1822 miles to go.
July 13, 2019
Giovanni Soldini and Maserati Multi 70 set sail from Pt. Fermin, Los Angeles, on July 13th at 12.30 local time (19.30 UTC, 21.30 Italian time) for the 50th edition of the Transpacific Yacht Race (Transpac): the finish line is 2225 miles away, off Diamond Head, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Under a cloudy sky, with a south-westerly wind between 6 and 8 knots, Maserati Multi 70 crossed the starting line on the wake of its competitors, the American MOD 70 Argo and the English MOD 70 PowerPlay, followed by the American 63’ trimaran Paradox.
Three hours after the start (22.30 UTC, 00.30 Italian time), Giovanni Soldini says: «The first 24 hours of the race are challenging. We’re inside a bubble of light wind where we have to fight hard: with such little wind we’re disadvantaged compared to our competitors, who are lighter than us. The first trimaran to reach the trade wind will gain a significant advantage that will be hard to catch up with later. Right now the wind is between 3 and 6 knots and we spent the whole afternoon struggling with the algae sticking to the foils. We have to pass through a small depression standing in the way of the steady north-westerly wind, it’s going to be a challenging night».
This edition of the Transpac will be challenging for Giovanni Soldini and his crew: because of the unfavourable weather, and also because of the high concentration of debris in this area of the Pacific Ocean. To deal with this problem, Maserati Multi 70’s Team developed a fuse system for the rudders on the side hulls to limit damages in case of impact with floating objects.
Aboard Maserati Multi 70, alongside skipper Giovanni Soldini, there will be the Italians Alberto Bona, Guido Broggi and Matteo Soldini; the Spanish Carol Hernandez Robayna and Oliver Herrera Perez; the French François Robert.
The trimarans will compete for the Rudy Choy Perpetual Trophy, awarded for the fastest multihull elapsed time, and they will also strive to beat the multihull record, set in 2017 by the American ORMA 60 Mighty Merloe (4 days, 6 hours, 32 minutes and 30 seconds).
July 12, 2019
The 50th edition of the Transpacific Yacht Race (Transpac) starts tomorrow, Saturday July 13th at 12.30 local time (19.30 UTC, 21.30 Italian time). Giovanni Soldini and Maserati Multi 70’sTeam will set sail from Pt. Fermin, Los Angeles and head towards the finish line, 2225 miles ahead, off Diamond Head, Honolulu, Hawaii.
The weather forecast shows typical conditions for this time of the year: «The first hours after the start will be the hardest» Giovanni Soldini explains, «there will be a wind hole but we will try to make our stand. Later, for around twelve hours, we will sail broad reach with a nice 20-25 wind. After that the wind will start to get lighter and turn to tailwind. We will have to try to stay in the best wind possible and, at the same time, sail around the high pressure. We're ready for the challenge, Maserati Multi 70 is in good shape and we’re excited!»
Aboard Maserati Multi 70, skipper Giovanni Soldini will be joined by 6 professional sailors: the Italians Alberto Bona, Guido Broggi and Matteo Soldini; the Spanish Carlos Hernandez Robayna and Oliver Herrera Perez; the French François Robert.
Among the six multihulls participating in the race, Maserati Multi 70, sailing in flying mode, will compete with the two MOD 70s already challenged many times: American Argo, skippered by Jason Carroll and English PowerPlay, skippered by Peter Cunningham. The two rival trimarans will sail in classic mode, even though Argo is working to develop a flying system and will race with flying rudders.
In addition to beating the multihull record, set in 2017 by the American ORMA 60 Mighty Merloe (4 days, 6 hours, 32 minutes and 30 seconds), the Italian trimaran and its competitors will race for the Rudy Choy Perpetual Trophy, awarded for the fastest multihull elapsed time.
July 10, 2019
Giovanni Soldini and Maserati Multi 70’s Team arrived two days ago in Los Angeles for the 50th edition of the Transpacific Yacht Race (Transpac): the regatta will start on Saturday July 13th at 12.30 local time (19.30 UTC, 21.30 Italian time).
The historical ocean race starts from Pt. Fermin, Los Angeles and the finish line, around 2225 miles away, is in Diamond Head, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Maserati Multi 70’s Team is continuing its research and testing in order to optimize the trimaran’s flying performance. Giovanni Soldini explains: "During the last race, the CA 500, we carried out some tests that helped us further improve the rudders’ system. We already tried it out on the water and it seems to work really well".
The crew joining skipper Giovanni Soldini aboard Maserati Multi 70 for this edition of the Transpac is made up of 7 expert sailors: