Giovanni Soldini and the Maserati team retain lead of Cape to Rio Race
by Imagina 8 Jan 2014 13:24 PST
8 January 2014
Maserati during the Cape to Rio yacht race © Imagina
Maserati shatters the Cape to Rio yacht race course record ©Imagina
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Maserati continues her gallop across the South Atlantic well out in front of the rest of the fleet in the Cape2Rio Yacht Race. Maserati is now 2,000 miles off Rio de Janeiro. She is also pulling even clearer of her two main rivals: the Australian 53' Scarlet Runner is now lagging 300 miles behind the Italian boat in second place while the South African Open 60 Explora is 600 miles in her wake.
"We are making 16 knots in an 18-knot wind," said Giovanni Soldini. "We gybed north to try to find a bit more air. When we gybe south, however, we get nearer to the best possible route. It's a constant compromise between following an efficient route and having wind. We've had a tear in the mainsail for a few days now and we're keeping an eye on that. Pierre Casiraghi has proved himself a very good helmsman into the bargain. We have a very nice rhythm aboard now. The crew are working very well together and the boat is on form too."
The Cape2Rio YachtRace is the longest race between two southern hemisphere continents, spanning 3,300 nautical miles between Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro. The current record is held by the American 74' maxi Zephyrus IV - she completed the race in just 12 days, 16 hours and 49 minutes in 2000.
Maserati is skippered by Giovanni Soldini and manned by a highly experienced, tightknit international crew: Italians Guido Broggi, Corrado Rossignoli and Michele Sighel; German Boris Herrmann; Spaniard Carlos Hernandez; French sailors Jacques Vincent and Gwen Riou; Dane MartinKirketerp Ibsen; and, for the first time, Pierre Casiraghi of Monaco.
Updates with video footage and still photographs from the boat and achart showing Maserati's position can be found at www.maseratisoldini.it and on the following social networks: Facebook (Giovanni Soldini Pagina Ufficiale, over 28700 friends) and Twitter @giovannisoldini (over 122000 followers).
The challenge is sponsored by our main partner, Maserati, after which the yacht is named, and by co-sponsors Swiss bank BSI (Generali Group) and Generali itself.
To follow the race visit www.cape2rio2014.com