Maserati New York to San Francisco Voyage - Record-breaker

by Maserati on 19 Feb 2013 Giovanni Soldini and his crew aboard ‘Maserati’ have set a new record of 47 days, 0 hours, 42 minutes and 29 seconds to sail ‘The Golden Route’ from New York to San Francisco via the notorious Cape Horn.

They crossed the finish line under San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge at 18h 31' 59' GMT (19h 31' 59' Italian time, 10h 31' 59' local time), establishing a new record time reference on the Golden Route, in the monohull category.

'We are exceedingly happy!' said Soldini. 'The Golden Route is an historic record, a very important and challenging one. Now it will bear the colours of the Italian flag. Maserati proved to be extremely powerful, strong and reliable. The crew has been extraordinary over these 47 days, everyone was prepared to face even the hardest situation. I would like to thank all my companions in this adventure and all our partners ? Maserati, BSI and Generali ? who made it possible for our dream to come true.'

Giovanni Soldini and a crew of eight sailors left New York at 17h 49’ 30' GMT on December the 31st, 2012 aboard Maserati, to challenge the New York-San Francisco record.

The challenge is being sponsored by Maserati as main partner and inspiration for the boat’s name, by the Swiss bank BSI (Generali Group) and by Generali itself as co-sponsor. Suppliers for the attempt include Vodafone Italia, Bulgari as Official Time Keeper, Boero Bartolomeo S.p.A., Eataly e Great Circle.

The website Maserati Soldini monitored the record live, 24 hours a day, with videos and photos sent from the boat together with news and comments from the crew members. On the Cartography page, the position of Maserati was updated in real time.

New York – San Francisco Record Story

The 13225 nautical miles that separate New York from San Francisco via Cape Horn, are an historic route, widely travelled by clippers that were involved in the gold rush, which had started in the second half of the 19th century. The best result of the time was set in 1854 by Flying Cloud, an exceptional vessel from the Boston shipyards, which reached San Francisco in 89 days and 8 hours, a record that stood for more than 130 years.

After several attempts by many boats, Warren Luhrs brought his 60-foot sloop, Thursday's Child, under the Golden Gate Bridge after 80 days and 20 hours in 1989. In 1994, Isabelle Autissier aboard Ecureuil Poitou took 62 days and 5 hours. Then, in 1998, Yves Parlier on board Aquitaine Innovations lowered the record to 57 days, 3 hours, 2 minutes. This was the reference record for Giovanni Soldini and his crew who beat it aboard the VOR70 Maserati by over 10 days.

Maserati

Maserati's support and participation in this major Italian challenge in sport and technology confirms the company’s role as a global ambassador for that level of excellence for which Italy is universally known. Maserati gives zealous expression to that excellence every day in 65 countries worldwide, thanks to its range of luxury cars which includes the flagship four-door saloon Quattroporte, the GranTurismo coupe’ and the GranCabrio convertible. The performance of Maserati cars on the road matches that of Giovanni Soldini and Maserati on water.

BSI and Generali

BSI is one of Switzerland’s oldest banks and specialises in private wealth management through top flight global management. BSI is a fully controlled member of the Generali Group, and fields a presence on all major international financial markets, especially in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Generali is one of the world’s largest international insurance groups with offices in over 60 countries. The group boasts a robust footprint in Europe, EEC member states, Asia and Latin America, serving over 70 million customers. The Generali Group is a European leader in life insurance with assets of over 400 billion euros.

Suppliers for the attempt include Vodafone Italia, responsible for providing telecommunication services and developing the official website, official time keeper Bulgari, and Boero Bartolomeo S.p.A. producers of the special paints and enamels used on the hull.

Maserati is also sponsored by Eataly, suppliers to the boat’s galley, Beta Utensili, who have provided all the professional tools, Corderia Lancelin, supplier of the special ropes and cables, FPT Industrial for technical assistance with the engines, Jeppesen for the cartography, B&G Navico for technical assistance with on-board instrumentation, Cantiere Picchiotti of La Spezia and Port of La Spezia, home of Maserati.

Maserati Soldini