After 12 exhausting hours, Maserati finally catches some wind A battle against time for Giovanni Soldini and his team
Twenty-four hours after casting off from New York, Maserati has finally caught some good wind with 2,470 of the 2,880 miles to Lizard Point, the westernmost tip of England and finish-line of the North Atlantic recordattempt, still to go.
Skipper Giovanni Soldini explained the situation as follows this morning: “We have finally made it into the wind and we’re hoping we’re not too late. Our second 12 hours underway were very stressful. Hurricane Gonzalo, which is now 300 miles ahead of us, kept us in a very low-wind zone for almost 12 hours. The forecasts said there would be south-westerly winds but they only arrived at one this morning.
There were times when we thought all was lost. Luckily, however, the wind we were expecting did eventually arrive and now we’re making an average speed of more than 19 knots. Unfortunately, Gonzalo left behind a nice big sea which is slowing us a little but everything should come right as time goes on. Now all we have to do is give our utmost and do everything we possibly can to go asfast as possible. We are convinced we can make up those 12 hours which really did cost us dear. With a bit of luck we’ll manage to catch the cold front waiting for us out there in the North Atlantic. Being able to stay ahead ofthat will be pivotal. Much will depend on the front’s real wind but if all goes well we should have good pressure from the south-west all the way to England.”
The current west-east Atlantic record was set by by the 140’ maxi yacht Mari Cha IV and her 24-strong crew in 2003when they took 6 days, 17 hours, 52 minutes and 39 seconds to cover the 2,880 miles that separate New York from Lizard Point.
Updates with video footage and still photographs from the boat and achart showing Maserati’s position can be found atwww.maseratisoldini.it (<http://www.maserati.soldini.it/>) and on the following social networks: Facebook (Giovanni Soldini Pagina Ufficiale, over 38.000 friends) and Twitter @giovannisoldini (over 128.000 followers).
The challenge is sponsored by ourmain partner, Maserati, after which the yacht is named, and by co-sponsors Swiss bank BSI (Generali Group) and Generali itself.
MASERATI Maserati’s support of and participation in this important Italian sporting and technological challenge underscores the company’s role as a world ambassador for Italian excellence. Maserati itself continues that renowned tradition of excellence each and every day in 65 countries worldwide, through hugely successful luxury cars of the likes of the Quattroporte, the GranTurismo, the GranCabrio and the brand-new Ghibli, whose performance on the road mirrors the achievements of Giovanni Soldini and Maserati on the water. www.maserati.it
BSI Bank With around € 73 billion of assets under management and over 140 years ofhistory, BSI is one of the oldest and most important banks in Switzerland. Established in Lugano in 1873, BSI SA is specialised in private wealth management. Since 1998, the Bank has been wholly owned by the Generali Group, one of the most significant participants in the global insurance and financial products market. The Bank places great emphasis on establishing and maintaining ongoing personal relationships with clients, while at the same time offering global asset management services with world-class products. BSI is present in the major financial markets worldwide, in Europe, Latin America, the MiddleEast and Asia.www.bsibank.com
Generali The Generali Group is one of Europe’s largest insurance with a total premium income in 2013 of €66 billion. With 77,000 employees worldwide and 65 million clients in more than 60 countries, the Group occupies a leadership position on Western European markets and isplaying an increasingly important role too in Central and Eastern Europe, and Asia. www.generali.com
The official suppliers to the challenge are Zegna Sport (clothing), Vodafone Italia (telecommunication services and official website development) and Boero Bartolomeo S.p.A. (speciaist hull paints and enamels).
The Ermenegildo Zegna Group is a leadingluxury menswear brand and one of the most renowned businesses in Italy. Founded in 1910, the company is currently managed by the fourth generation of the Zegna family, with over 540 branded stores in more than 100 countries around the world. The Zegna Sport collection was launched in 1999 as a line of clothing in which functionality, style and advanced technology are the basic ingredients for a high-performance wardrobe. Initially created for sports activities, the contemporary evolution of the collection delivers a total look that is perfect for today’s metropolitan lifestyle. www.zegna.com
Vodafone Italia is part of the Vodafone Group, one of the world’s leading mobile communications groups, serving over 430 million clients. The Vodafone Group has a direct presence in more than 30 countries as well as network partnership deals in a further 50. Vodafone Italia boasts around 29 million clients, 6,500 employees, 8 Competence Centers and over 7,000 sales outlets across Italy. It providesinnovative voice, messaging, data and fixed network services to private individuals, companies and public administration clients. www.vodafone.it
Boero YachtCoatings makes quality coatings for all kinds of marine uses and to meet the needs of everyone from dedicated leisure sailors to professionals involved in building the most ambitious superyachts on the planet. Our desire to meet our clients’ needs has pushed us to develop leading-edge products that use carefully selected raw materials, formulas that comply with the latest legislation and production processes that guarantee absolutely consistent quality. We also bring to our work a deep knowledge of application cycles and a desire to assist our partners every step of the way. We are guided by our passion for the sea and our ambition to play a genuine role in ensuring our clients’ success and satisfaction. www.boeroyachtcoatings.com
Also aboard Maserati are Eataly (provisioning), Beta Utensili (all professional tools), Corderia Lancelin (specialist lines and cables), Jeppesen (cartography), B&G Navico (technical assistance with onboard instrumentation), Cantiere Picchiotti of La Spezia (Maserati’s home base ashore), and the La Spezia Port Authority (Maserati’s home port afloat).
