Mission accomplished! Giovanni Soldini and Maserati first across the finish line (with record) at RORC Caribbean

Mission accomplished for Giovanni Soldini and his crew. At 8:49 p.m. local time on Tuesday, February 19 (00:49 a.m. UTC Wednesday, February 20), Maserati Multi 70 crossed the finish line first (thus winning the Multihull Line Honours and setting a new regatta record: one day, six hours and 49 minutes) Of the 11th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600. The race, which starts and finishes in Antigua, runs along a 600-mile course that reaches north to the island of Saint Martin and south to Guadeloupe, passing around 11 islands, including Barbuda, Nevis, Saba and Saint Barth, organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club.

THE CREW OF MASERATI
Aboard the Italian trimaran, skipper Giovanni Soldini was accompanied by a crew of seven experienced sailors: the Italian Vittorio Bissaro (tactician), Guido Broggi (clubber), Nico Malingri and Matteo Soldini (both grinder and tailer); Spaniards Carlos Hernandez Robayna (tailer) and Oliver Herrera Perez (bowman); and Frenchman Claude Thélier (tailer).

FIRST DESPITE A BREAKDOWN
After a hard-fought neck-and-neck with the American MOD 70 Argo along the last 30 miles to the finish, Maserati Multi 70 finished the race on a high note, despite the fact that he had sustained quite significant damage: the hinge holding the solent (the main headsail) on the anti-twist cable that allows it to furl had broken. Soldini had said, “We haven’t been able to use the solent for a few hours. With so much wind and so much wave it’s quite a mess, but we’re working on it and we think we can make a makeshift repair.” But everything went smoothly. Argo instead crossed the finish line at 20:56 04″ local time, 7 minutes after Maserati Multi 70.

Maserati Multi 70(21.20 meters in length and 16.80 in width) and the American MOD 70 Argo, skippered by Jason Carroll, departed Fort Charlotte, Antigua, at 2 p.m. local time (6 p.m. UTC and 7 p.m. Italian time) on Monday, Feb. 18, and competed in the Multi/MOD 70 class, created exclusively for the two trimarans.

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