Everything is ready for the start of the Caribbean Multihull Challenge: tomorrow, on Friday February 14th at 9.00 local time (13.00 UTC, 14.00 Italian time) Giovanni Soldini and Maserati Multi 70’s Team will set sail from Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten, for the first of a total of three races making up the event. Alongside the Italian Time, will also participate the American trimaran Argo, for the first time in flying mode and the 63-foot-long trimaran Shockwave.
Two possible courses have been designed for the ocean trimarans, one of 60 miles and one of 43 miles: the definitive course will be selected on the day of the race, according to the weather. On the long course the three participants will sail around St. Barth before going back to the finish line in Simpson Bay. On the shorter course, the trimarans will sail around Fourchue Island, North-West of St. Barth, before turning back towards Simpson Bay.
The following races, on February 15th and 16th, will have shorter courses: from Simpson Bay to Grand Case (on the French side of the island) and back.
The weather models show ideal conditions for the two flying trimarans: during the three days of the event there will be a East-North-Easterly Trade Wind, stable between 15 and 20 knots, allowing Maserati Multi 70 and Argo to reach great speed.
For this regatta, aboard Maserati Multi 70, skipper Giovanni Soldini will race with an International crew: the Italians Nico Malingri, Matteo Soldini (both grinders and trimmers) and Gianluigi Ugolini (tactician), the Spanish Willy Altadill (trimmer), Carlos Hernandez Robayna (trimmer) and Oliver Herrera Perez (bowman), the French Ronan Cointo (mainsail trimmer).
Maserati Multi 70’s crew is ready for the challenge, Giovanni Soldini commented: «We can’t wait! Argo’s crew is super and we’re very happy to be able to race against another trimaran with a flying foils system, it will be a great training for the RORC Caribbean 600».
The Caribbean Multihull Challenge, organized by the Sint Maarten Yacht Club, is a three-day-long event reserved to multihulls. This year, at its second edition, the event attracted a total of 20 entrants, divided in 5 classes.
