Maserati Multi 70 entered the English Channel before dawn. After a very fast night thanks to the wind which veered to the East and allowed Giovanni Soldini and his crew (Guido Broggi, Sébastien Audigane, Oliver Herrera Perez and Alex Pella) to conclude the crossing of the Bay of Biscay on the direct route to the tip of Brittany, at 6.34 UTC ranking, the italian trimaran was located a few miles north of the island of Ushant. Of the remaining 344 miles to the finish line, 300 are the distance between Ushant and the Strait of Dover: all the Channel to sail upwind with important tidal currents and a very dense maritime traffic. These are the last 300 miles before turning left and start the last part of the route, climbing the estuary and the river Thames up to London.
Giovanni Soldini comments: ”Here we have a wind that blows from the east and forces us to go up the Channel tacking upwind with a freezing cold. We expect the wind to increase up to 22/25 knots in the evening. We will pass Calais in the night Thursday and Friday at around 4 in the morning. Navigation is very tough in the Channel, there is a lot of traffic and rules that we have to respect. Everything is all right on board, morale is high”.
After almost 35 days of navigation, at the 9.34 UTC rankings, the advantage of Maserati Multi 70 on the record holder's roadmap is 1.564 miles. There are 302 miles left (of the initial 13.000 nm) to the finish line in London. The arrival is currently scheduled for the morning of 23 February.
Left Hong Kong last January 18th, to beat the record set in 2008 by Lionel Lemonchois on board the 100 footer maxi catamaran Gitana 13 (41 days, 21 hours and 26 minutes), the 21.20 meters trimaran Maserati Multi 70 must cut the finish line under the Queen Elizabeth II bridge over the River Thames before the 1stof March.
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.
