My Song On Course For Monohull Record

My Song shortly after the start of the RORC Transatlantic Race from Marina Lanzarote

Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina is ready for the arrival of Pier Luigi Loro Piana's My Song. The 130ft Italian Supermaxi is expected to take Monohull Line Honours in the RORC Transatlantic Race today and is on course to break the monohull record! My Song must finish the race by 19:06:58 UTC today 04 December.

It is going to be mighty close! Live coverage of the finish will be on the RORC Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/RoyalOceanRacingClub

Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina played host to the multihull prize giving for the 2018 RORC Transatlantic Race. Giovanni Soldini's Maserati Multi70 was the winner of the Multihull Line Honours Trophy. Peter Cunningham's MOD70 PowerPlay was presented with a RORC decanter as winner of the MOCRA Class after time correction. The two crews had enjoyed a full-on match race across the Atlantic. However, both Maserati and PowerPlay showed mutual respect and friendship, right down to Soldini and Cunningham swapping shirts at the ceremony.

After an intense 3,000 mile battle across the Atlantic from Marina Lanzarote to Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, Giovanni Soldini's Maserati Multi 70 has taken Multihull Line Honours in the 2018 RORC Transatlantic Race in an elapsed time of 6 days, 18 hours, 54 minutes and 34 seconds. The team completed the 5th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race at 06:54:34 UTC on Saturday 1st December.

Peter Cunningham's MOD70 PowerPlay, skippered by Ned Collier Wakefield was less than 46 minutes behind Maserati, finishing at 07:40:12 UTC after seven days of a fascinating duel and taking first place in the MOCRA Class. Whilst no quarter was given on the race course, the two crews celebrated together on the dock; such is the strong accord between the two rivals after a memorable experience.

Maserati Multi 70 and Giovanni Soldini are first to cross the finish line of the 5th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race

The Italian crew crossed the finish line with an elapsed time of 6 days, 18 hours, 54 minutes and 34 seconds.  PowerPlay crossed the line second with an elapsed time of 6 days, 19 hours, 40 minutes and 12 seconds.

DAY 7 1600 UTC Report

Maserati and PowerPlay have been neck and neck since the race began © RORC/Joaquín Vera

It's game on in the thrilling race for Multihull Line Honours in the RORC Transatlantic Race. Giovanni Soldini's Maserati Multi70 and Peter Cunningham's MOD70 PowerPlay are expected to arrive at Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in the early hours of Saturday morning, local time in Grenada (-4 UTC). With 400 miles to go, it is impossible to predict the winner.

The Italian trimaran, Maserati Multi 70 has reported surfing at 30 knots of boat speed. “The swell is gentle and long and we’re able to skim over the waves. PowerPlay has been chasing us for days without giving an inch, it’s going to be like this until the finish line!” commented Giovanni Soldini.

International Maxi Association member Pier Luigi Loro Piana, racing Supermaxi My Song, is also locked in a battle with a 'virtual rival'. With 1300 miles to the finish, My Song is estimated to be just seven hours behind the monohull race record set by Jean-Paul Riviere's French Finot-Conq 100, Nomad IV in 2015. My Song is at full speed, the 130ft Baltic yacht's largest spinnaker is 1100 sq.metre and she can fly a total of 2000 sq.metres of sail area from her 59 metre rig.

DAY 6 1200 UTC Report

Back on the race track after a pitstop in Cape Verde - Franco Niggeler's Swiss Cookson 50 Kuka3 © Rodrigo Rato

At 1200 UTC on 29 November, Giovanni Soldini's Multi70 Maserati and Peter Cunningham's MOD70 PowerPlay were into the sixth day of their high-speed duel in the RORC Transatlantic Race. Both teams were just under 1,000 miles from the finish at Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in Grenada. The latest position report showed that Maserati was just 13 miles further from the finish than PowerPlay with both multihulls hitting well over 20 knots of boat speed.

Giovanni Soldini sent this message from on board Maserati;

“Everything is going well and we have 25 knots of wind coming from east. Now we have both gybed south and we should have a good advantage over PowerPlay. We’re sailing with gennaker and full main; the moon shines on the waves and Maserati Multi 70 darts with wild accelerations between 25 and 33 knots of speed. It’s almost impossible to sleep – you have to strap yourself into your bunk! We are happy and determined; the finish line is close and we will do our best as always!” 

Day 5 Report - Halfway Across!

Sunrise from Pier Luigi Loro Piana's Baltic 130 My Song

The leading multihulls are now approximately halfway along the course in the RORC Transatlantic Race having already sailed 1700 miles. Conversely, the smaller boats have only covered between 500 and 600 miles and still have around 2500 miles to go. The chasing pack made up of Black Sheep, Sirius, Xtra Staerk and Kali are now firmly in the trade winds and all are making good speeds in a south-westerly direction.

Day 4 Report - Blasting into the trades

Giovanni Soldini's Maserati Multi 70 and Peter Cunningham's MOD 70 PowerPlay have pulled the trigger, launching into the trade winds during the third night at sea in the RORC Transatlantic Race. It will be a wet and wild ride on board as both trimarans have been recording boat speeds of over 30 knots. Maserati has maintained a course on starboard tack allowing the Italian team to use their foil (the starboard rudder is conventional due to damage before the start). PowerPlay have been soaking west, attaining a lower average speed, but sailing 57 miles less than Maserati to place just three miles astern.

"Clothes and sleeping bags all drenched on board #MaseratiMulti70, but apart from that everything is good!" - Facebook update from Maserati

The battle between the multihulls has entered another phase, with both Giovanni Soldini's Maserati Multi 70 and Peter Cunningham's MOD70 PowerPlay crossing the rhumb line at sundown on day two. As dawn broke on the third day of the RORC Transatlantic Race, the two duelling trimarans tacked south. However, Maserati chose to take a hotter angle to the northwesterly breeze, whilst PowerPlay was heading downwind. The main objective for both was to escape their area of high pressure to the solid 20 knots of wind that awaits them; the difference in opinion will play out today. At 0830 UTC on day three both boats were ramping up the boat speed, preparing for the downwind sleigh ride to come.

Enjoying a duel through the Canary Islands: Peter Cunningham's MOD70 PowerPlay and Giovanni Soldini's Multi 70 Maserati
RORC Transatlantic Race © Mikel Prieto

Giovanni Soldini's Maserati Multi 70 and Peter Cunningham's MOD 70 PowerPlay have been swapping the multihull lead right from the start. On the first day, the duo headed northwest, tacking southwest in unison, 73 miles above the rhumb line. A night-time game of cat and mouse ensued, with both teams electing to leave the island of La Palma to port, presumably to avoid the wind shadow from its 2,000m peak. At 1000 UTC on Day 2, both trimarans were heading southwest, upwind at over 13 knots of boat speed. The race was on to escape the expanding area of high pressure and reach the fresh breeze.