In an easterly wind of 12-15 knots and calm seas, the Maserati Multi 70 crossed the start line in the Hong Kong Channel off the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club in the wake of the SHK Scallywag Fuku. After the first few hours, the Maserati Multi 70 should find a north-easterly wind of 25 knots, which will continue for the first half of the course. After that, the wind will die down to 20-15 knots and then drop again near the finish line.
Nine boats have entered the regatta, including two multihulls: the Maserati Multi 70’s direct competitor is the SHK Scallywag Fuku, an Orma 60 skippered by David Witt. The Hong Kong-based trimaran (formerly Team Australia) joined the Team Scallywag fleet in 2018, along with the 100-foot maxi monohull Scallywag.
Moments before setting sail, #giovannisoldini commented, “It will be important for us to prevent our competitors from overtaking us at the start in the channel, where there will be less wind. “The SHK Scallywag Fuku is a 60-foot trimaran, much lighter than the Maserati Multi 70, so the Hong Kong trimaran will have the advantage in light winds. Soldini continues: “In strong winds and rough seas we certainly feel more comfortable, we will try to watch our competitors and avoid going sideways. Lighter boats are very strong downwind, which is expected for this race, but I’m sure we can make a difference in long waves.
The Maserati Multi 70’s team is definitely motivated and we will fight with all our might as always!” The two competing trimarans will attempt to break the speed record of 1 day, 18 hours, 17 minutes and 24 seconds set in 2015 by Sydney Fisher aboard the monohull Ragamuffin 100. The record for multihulls was set in 2006 when Benoit Lesaffre on the catamaran Atmosphere finished the race in 1 day, 23 hours, 40 minutes and 25 seconds. In July, the Maserati Multi 70’s team arrived at the shipyard in Hawaii, where they worked continuously for two months: They repaired the damage to the left side hull and rudder caused by a collision during the Transpacific Yacht Race and carried out the usual maintenance work.
In addition, further research and experiments were carried out to optimise the flight performance of the Maserati Multi 70: For the race from Hong Kong to Vietnam, the T-shaped control surfaces were set to optimum settings, which were developed following various tests over the past few months.
