Italian Legend Giovanni Soldini Breaks World Record

The International crew, led by Italian skipper Giovanni Soldini aboard the Vor70 Maserati, passed the finish line under the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, shattering the 1998 world record previously held by Captain French Yves Parlier, skipper of the Aquitaine Innovations.

Supporters from the Italian community, family members, journalists, sports fans, and tourists walking along the Embarcadero, welcomed the Italian vessel and its nine intrepid sailors at Pier 39.

 

By Friday night, it was clear that the record would be broken by a large margin, but there was some concern as winds died down to less than four knots as the VOR70 Maserati was less than 100 nautical miles away off the coast of the Monterey peninsula.  Just after midnight, it was thought that it might take as much as another 24 hours for the yacht to complete its voyage.  By daybreak, however, the wind had picked up, and the captain and crew prepared to enter the Golden Gate.  A slight east wind hampered them as they tacked to port in an attempt to enter the Bay.  Like Sir Francis Drake before them, they passed the entrance to the San Francisco Bay, but their diversion was only momentary.  Eventually, they fought the uncooperative winds to cross the finish line as the San Francisco Fire Depatment’s fire boat followed the VOR70 Maserati into the bay, firing its water canon in salute.

 

As the winds again died down, the exhausted crew celebrated on board before they were finally able to approach the dock. It was there that Consul General of Italy in San Francisco Mauro Battocchi was the first to welcome Captain Soldini and his crew.  Also on hand to welcome them at Pier 39 was Maserati North America Director of Brand Marketing Andrea Soriani and Manahattan Sailing Club Commodore Michael Fortenbaugh, who congratulated the captain and crew, awarding them with the Clipper Challenge Cup.

 

Honoring a long-standing tradition among sailors, the international crew celebrated their arrival by spraying each other with champagne and throwing Captain Soldini overboard.  Once the good-natured pandemonium had begun, it continued with crew members throwing each other overboard as well.  Back aboard, the crew—who Consul General remarked looked like gatti bagnati—enjoyed cheese and beer while answering questions from the media.

 

Speaking to L’Italo-Americano reporter Roberto Natalini, Captain Soldini said, “The Gold Rush route represents one of the greatest adventures that are yet to be done.  It is a record with an amazing history, because the myth of Cape Horn was born from this route with the discovery of gold in California. Many sailing ships in the middle of the 19th century risked the lives of many people, often ending in tragedy, because at that time sailing this route was a crazy adventure.

 

Corrado Rossignoli, an Italian member of the crew with great experience in inshore boat-races—such as the Americas Cup Challenge in 2008 and Team 40 Telecom Italia in 2009 for the Rolex Fastnet Race—also spoke to Natalini.

 

The multi-cultural crew of VOR70 Maserati is composed of world-class professional sailors. Among them are four Italians: the above-mentioned Giovanni and Corrado; Guido Broggi, a long-time shipmate of Soldini and fellow crew member of America’s Cup in Valencia; media man and cook Michele Sieghel, who took care and filmed all the crew; helmsman and trimmer Sebastien Audigane from France, expert of the “course au large;” pitman Ryan Breymaier from Annapolis, Maryland with decennial experience in offshore races; navigator Boris Herrmann from Germany; grinder and trimmer Jianghe “Tiger” Teng from China, the first Chinese participating in the Volvo Ocean Race; and the youngest of the group, 25-year-old Spanish bowman Carlos Hernandez from the Canary Islands, who joined the crew more than a year ago, after working with boat Telefonica.

 

After a brief respite, during which the assembled crowds had a chance to meet the crew and congratulate them on their accomplishment, a press conference was held at the Neptune Restaurant at the end of Pier 39.  The Consul General of Italy in San Francisco, the Honorable Mauro Battocchi, spoke about how Soldini’s accomplishment was the perfect start for the celebration of the “2013 Year of Italian Culture in the United States.”  He remarked that the event had the effect of giving the Italian community of San Francisco, as well as Italians around the world, a sense of pride in their heritage. He recalled the stories of the first gold miners and traders arriving in San Francisco, and how Italians and in particular, those of Genovese heritage, followed the same path of VOR70 Maserati. He went on to say that Italian Ambassador Bisogniero had been following the epic journey almost minute by minute: “This is a success that makes us Italians proud, and shows how tenacity, innovation, excellence and tradition can bring our country to the top.”

 

Captain Giovanni Soldini expressed his gratitude and respect for all the previous sailors who had set the “Golden Route”  record, such as his friend Isabelle Autissier had done in 1994;  Soldini had heroically rescued her when the vessel capsized west of Cape Horn in 1999.  The skipper also mentioned Eleanor Creesy, navigator and wife of Josiah Perkins Creesy, who skippered the epic “Flying Cloud” on two record-setting voyages from New York to San Francisco—a record that she held for over 130 years, from 1854-1989.

 

He also brought attention to the high level of professionalism of the crew, which was difficult to assemble.  The crew, comprised of nine people from different countries with different languages and cultures, different sailing styles and experiences, all worked together exhibiting an amazing display of team work.

 

Soldini also expressed his gratitude to all the sponsors: the primary partners Maserati and BSI Generali, who supported them and who made the challenge much easier.  He also highlighted the importance of the use of media and social networks, which allowed the team to “enter inside the house of many supporters in Italy and the U.S, involving many people during this incredible adventure. Social media are in fact very helpful for the sailing in general, making this sport always more popular and close to the public.”

 

During the early days of the California Gold Rush era, New York to San Francisco voyages averaged about 200 days, covering 13225 nautical miles in total.  More recent speed records were set by the Flying Cloud, an exceptional vessel from the Boston shipyards reaching San Francisco in 89 days.  That record was improved upon after several attempts by many boats, including the 60 foot Thursday’s Child of Warren Luhrs in 1989 (80 days), the French Ecureuil Poitou in 1994  (62 days) and Aquitaine Innovations in 1998 (57 days).  These predecessor adventures made the enterprise of the Italian yacht VOR70 Maserati and its international crew, an endeavor to be remembered for many years to come.