In an ideal world I show up at a press junket armed with a fistful of knowledge and an intelligent line of questioning. But with less than 24 hours between Maserati’s ‘come and meet Giovanni Soldini and sail our new Multi70 trimaran’ invitation landing in my inbox and me showing up quayside Puerto Portals, I found time for only the scantest of Googles. But what a Google that was.
I discovered that the Maserati Multi70 was highly experimental, designed to ‘fly’ on the water (yep, zero hull contact with the sea surface) and planned to win races – smashing as many multihull world records as possible in the process.
I also ferreted out some juicy morsels on the Italian yachtsman.
Not only had Giovanni been described as “the legendary Italian”, “a record-breaking world champion”, “one of a kind” and (my favourite) “a single-handed offshore virtuoso whose training regimen includes beer, cigarettes and pool halls”, but he had also saved the life of fellow competitor, the capsized Isabelle Autissier, somewhere in the South Pacific during the 26,000 mile 1998-1999 Around Alone (Charleston – Cape Town – Auckland – Punta del Este – Charleston) then went on to win the whole thing in a record 116 days. French President Jacques Chirac awarded him the Légion d’Honneur for his heroism. Oh, and he also appeared bare chested, staring sexily down the lens, as Mr December in a 2003 sport-themed charity calendar shoot for fashion magazine Donna Moderna alongside the likes of F1 driver Giancarlo Fisichella and footballer Gianluca Zambrotta – quite enough research to confirm that I was in for a treat.
Although best known as a luxury car manufacturer, 1914-established Maserati has been linked to powerboating since the 1930s and its lightweight powerful engines have helped claim tens of Italian, European and World Championship titles – and records – all the way up until the 1960s. But it wasn’t until 2012 that Maserati entered the sailing world, immediately securing Soldini’s services.
This time providing sponsorship rather than horsepower, the Maserati-Soldini partnership began with the VOR70
monohull – a carbon-fibre 70-footer that shaved ten days (ten days!) off the previous ‘Golden Route’ record (New York to San Francisco via Cape Horn), crossing the finishing line in February 2013. She then took line honours in the 2014 Cape2Rio race, again obliterating the existing record by more than two days. By June 2015 the VOR70 had conquered the San Francisco to Shanghai ‘Tea Route’ in 21 days (another new record) before finishing the year with a respectable fourth in the Sydney-Hobart.
As 2016 dawned it was time for fresh technology, and at the end of May the cutting-edge VPLP Studio-designed Multi70 splashed water from its Brittany shipyard heralding a new era for Maserati-Soldini. A trimaran – serendipitously fitting for major sponsor with a logo inspired by God of the Sea, Neptune’s, spear-fishing trident – this faster more modern craft has its sights on major ocean records.
Having been tendered on board (slightly easier than repeatedly berthing a three-hulled masterpiece reaching 21.2 metres in length, 16.8 metres in beam and with a 29 metre mast) I clambered inelegantly across the taut trampoline and struck up a conversation with this leading member of seafaring royalty.
“This boat is very experimental”, said Giovanni. “At the moment we have a pioneering L-foil fitted to the right-hand side and this enables her to fly completely out of the water. Soon we will have it on the left, it’s very exciting. Our goal is to fly in open sea. Normally the America’s Cup catamarans just foil on flat sea – our technology is adapted for high sea – we are trying to take a very big step.”
Yet to be raced, and only in the water for a matter of weeks, I asked Giovanni how he felt about the challenges ahead, including a possible Monaco-Porto Cervo record attempt in September, October’s Rolex Middle Sea Race which starts and finishes in Malta, and the RORC Transatlantic which leaves Lanzarote for the Caribbean island of Grenada in 
November.
“We’ve already clocked up 4,000 miles and what we’ve seen so far is really enthusing us already. We’ve had plenty of little problems, but no big ones, and each day we are learning. I think it will be difficult for us to win the first race. In some conditions our L-foil is faster, in others the normal foil seems better. We shall see.”
Mother Nature only saw fit to give us between seven and ten knots of wind speed around the Bay of Palma, so it was hard to get a feel for the Multi70’s potential, although Giovanni and his crew managed to convert that light wind into around 16 knots of boat speed. “It needs around 17 or 18 knots of wind to perform really well,” said Giovanni, “and a tilt of around 15º is the optimum position for the boat. Sometimes things can happen, 40º or 50º, but it’s ok.”
A few days later they achieved 28 knots against the impressive Palma cityscape backdrop, generating ear-to-ear smiles amongst the talented multinational crew – Italian Guido Broggi who has sailed alongside Giovanni for more than two decades, and young Canarian duo Oliver and Sacha. (For races there will be a six- or seven-man crew configuration with Spaniard Carlos Hernandez (another Canarian) rejoining the team). This 28 was still some way off the 42 knot (78 kph) maximum to date, achieved en route from Italy.
Before he relocated to the portside helm station, casually lighting up a Camel cigarette as he instructed the crew to prepare the sails for the about-turn, I just had time to ask Giovanni the really important questions – “Do you ever use the engine?” “Only to moor”, “Do you ever get scared or are you past all that?” “Yes, in rough sea I can still get scared”, “Can you sleep onboard?” “Yes, there is a small interior cabin”, “Is there a loo?” “No, we go over the trampoline, it all ends up in the same place anyway”, “Do you like motoryachts?” “I hate motoryachts”. Of course I knew the answer to the last question before I posed it.
It was a privilege to spend a few hours onboard a boat that will undoubtedly go on to carve its place in history. I wish the enigmatic floppy-haired Italian and his team the safest and most successful of stories.
Sarah Drane, sarah@purplecakefactory.com
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