Maserati Multi 70 arrived today in Valletta, in Malta, ready to participate in the 39th edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race. At the historical Maltese regatta there will be 149 sailing boats crossing the starting line on Saturday 20th October at 11.00 am (9.00 am UTC).
For this edition of the regatta, Maserati Multi 70’s skipper Giovanni Soldini will be joined by a crew of 7 people:
- Guido Broggi (ITA) – mainsail trimmer
- François Robert (FRA) – pitman
- Carlos Hernandez (ESP) – trimmer
- Matteo Soldini (ITA) – grinder and trimmer
- Oliver Herrera Perez (ESP) – bowman
- Nico Malingri (ITA) – grinder and trimmer
- Vittorio Bissaro (ITA) – tactician
In the MOCRA category, alongside Maserati Multi 70, there will be 5 more teams: the Italian Ad Maiora, the Swiss Allegra, the Polish R-SIX and, Maserati Multi 70’s direct rival, the English MOD 70 PowerPlay (former Concise 10), skippered by Ned Collier Wakefield.
The Rolex Middle Sea Race, organized by the Royal Malta Yacht Club, is celebrating this year its 50th anniversary since its first edition in 1968. The regatta’s 606 miles route is sailed anti-clockwise around Sicily, passing North of Stromboli, West of Favignana and Pantelleria and South of Lampedusa, before heading back to the finish line in Valletta.
The speed record is held by George David who, in 2007, crossed the finish line aboard Rambler in 47 hours, 55 minutes and 3 seconds.
Maserati Multi 70 is ready to put to the test, in an agonistic field, the new rudder system developed in the last months by designer Guillaume Verdier and by the boat’s Team in order to deal with the problem of impact with floating objects. Because of the serious pollution in the sea, the risk of being significantly damaged by impact with debris is very high. During the three months spent in the boatyard in La Trinité-sur-Mer, a fuse system has been installed so that, in case of shock, the rudder blade can rise above the water. After the works aboard, Giovanni Soldini and Maserati Multi 70’s Team carried out many tests in the water in order to improve the system, which for the first time has been developed specifically for T shaped rudders.
