Maserati vs. Phaedo 3: the eternal challenge of superfast beasts is renewed at the RORC Caribbean 600

Once againit is Giovanni Soldini’s Maserati versus Lloyd Thornburg’s Phaedo 3: the challenge between the two Multi 70s is renewed and this time the “theater” of contention will be the Rorc Caribbean 600 Race, one of the classics of ocean sailing. The regatta route, which starts and finishes in Antigua, winds along 11 Caribbean islands, reaching Saint Martin in the north and descending south to the small island of Les Saintes opposite Guadeloupe. In addition to the two trimarans, racing includes IRC-rated classes including some of the most renowned maxis on the international scene.

This is the third official competitive event for Maserati, following the Rolex Middle Sea Race and the RORC Transatlantic Race. In both previous regattas, the main opponent of Maserati, and the crew led by Giovanni Soldini, was Lloyd Thornburg’s “twin” Phaedo 3. At the Middle only a glaring navigational error by the American trimaran allowed Giovanni Soldini to co-win, while Phaedo 3 came out on top in the RORC Transatlantic Race. The duel is therefore renewed, and Maserati’s goal is to reduce the physiological gap, due to the debut and development stages of the new boat, and try to win the regatta in real time.

The different axis between Maserati and Phaedo 3

There is an important detail to point out about the different trimaran set-up between the two trimarans: as can be seen in the photos opposite, Maserati mounts L-shaped foils, Phaedo 3 of traditional dinghies. On paper an advantage for the performance of Giovanni Soldini’s crew, but in reality the light wind that characterized the race ended up favoring Phaedo 3. In fact, foils need at least average wind strength to show their maximum effectiveness, below which they do not benefit or may even penalize.

At the start, with a stiff breeze above 15 knots, Maserati had managed to stretch. In the video below, where you can hear in the cockpit the directions of Olympian Vittorio Bissaro, you can clearly see Maserati overtaking.

The two trimarans lead the fleet and, as they are about to round Guadeloupe, they fight shoulder to shoulder: the two race in very close contact and constantly on sight. About 20 miles further back the leading duo, the monohull fleet is firmly led in real time by Rambler 100, while on corrected time right now the JV72 Bella Mente seems very well placed

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Mauro Giuffrè