By 12 UTC on Thursday January 16th the calms are behind Maserati Multi 70 and the high speed duel with the rival trimaran LoveWater has started again.
By 12 UTC on Thursday January 16th the calms are behind Maserati Multi 70 and the high speed duel with the rival trimaran LoveWater has started again.
Maserati Multi 70‘s Team is sailing South West towards the high pressure at 17 knots, with 12 knots of East-North-Easterly wind (16.30 UTC). LoveWater also set course to South West and is chasing the Italian trimaran, which is 35 miles ahead.
Maserati Multi 70 is leading the fleet of the 22 boats participating in the Cape2Rio 2020: during the night, scattered with squalls, the Italian Team overtook Sulanga, the 48 feet catamaran who set sail from Cape Town on January 4th and who was leading the fleet. At 8.30 UTC Giovanni Soldini and his crew are sailing South West at 27 knots with 16 knots of East-South-Easterly wind. LoveWater, direct competitor, is sailing West, around 90 miles further North.
Maserati Multi 70 is still sailing ahead its competitor: at 20 UTC the Italian trimaran is 2030 miles away from the finish line while LoveWater‘s Team, who are following a route 100 miles further North, still have 2109 miles ahead of them.
Giovanni Soldini explains from aboard: “The situation is really hard, we gybes around twenty times on the wind shifts. The next hours with little wind will be very difficult: the first one to get out of the calm wind zone will hit the jackpot!”
At 8.00 UTC on Tuesday January 14th, Maserati Multi 70 was sailing West-SouthWest at 23.7 knots, 17 miles ahead of LoveWater, sailing on a course further North at 26.7 knots. The Italian Team got back in the lead yesterday in the late afternoon.
Soldini explains: “Everything is fine aboard, we had a little problem with the central rudder yesterday, but we fixed it. We have a difficult passage ahead, with light wind and many decisions to take, but the crew is happy, also thanks to the carbonara we had for dinner last night aboard Maserati Multi 70!”
Maserati Multi 70 is still chasing the competitor LoveWater, but thanks to a tactical move Giovanni and his crew were able to cut the distance between them in half. The Italian Team skipped a gybe and, according to the positions updated at 16 UTC, is sailing West at 22 knots, 35 miles behind its opponent, sailing at 21 knots.
Difficult day aboard Maserati Multi 70: with a rough sea and a strong wind, LoveWater‘s longer hulls advantage is felt.
Maserati Multi 70, at 20 UTC, is sailing at 28 knots towards North West. The Italian trimaran gybed in the afternoon and is now sailing away from the African coast.
Maserati Multi 70‘s direct opponent, LoveWater, is now in the lead and is sailing at 27 knots following a more Southern route.
Maserati Multi 70, at 12.30 UTC, is flying at 27-30 knots of speed with a 20 knots tailwind.
At the start, 24 hours before, the Italian trimaran suffered damages to the foil’s cylinders that adjust the rake, the foil’s upward thrust. Giovanni Soldini and his Team were able to solve the problem, but they were forced to slow down while LoveWater, the 80′ trimaran, was gaining miles.
