Many other participants also in difficulty
Maserati is coping better and continues to lead the fleet
The Cape2Rio organisers have sadly officially confirmed that tragedy struck the Bavaria 54 Bille as the race fleet was lashed by a ferocious storm within hours of the start yesterday afternoon. At around 15.00 hours, the Angolan crew skippered by Luis Manuel De Oliveira Da Silva and with owner Sybille Marion Doeker Correira Da Silva also aboard, informed the race committee that there had been injuriesaboard after the yacht dismasted in winds gusting at 50 knots and also that one crew member had died, although the identity of the latter has not yet been announced.
The only other news so far on the tragedy is that a rescue boat has reached Bille off Cape Town. More updates will follow over the coming hours.
Aside from Bille, however, several other boats in the fleet have alerted the authorities to damage caused by the storm and requested assistance.
The South African Miura Ava sent out an SOS via EPIRB at around 16.00 yesterday and the organisers have beenunable to raise direct communications with her since. Black Cat (a South African Didi 38) broke a rudder blade and has had to pull out of the race, while Peekay (a South Africa Bénéteau 51) is on her way to Saldanha Bay under engine power after developing problems with her sails, as is the South African Charger FTI Flyer. Aboard Isla (a South African Wilderness) a small electrical fire was quickly dealt with and the Vickers 41 Avanti (South Africa) is making for Cape Town also.
“All of us here aboard Maserati are greatly dismayed by the news,” said Soldini by sat phone. “Our thoughts are with all of Bille’s crew members and their families. And also with all the boats that were or are in difficulty. Given that the Cape2Rio fleet includes small cruising yachts ill-prepared to cope with such violent ocean storms, it might have been wiser to postpone the start. But it’s always easy to evaluate these things in hindsight. On the other hand, this deep depression with winds of 50-60 knots was forecast well in advance of the start.”
At 9.00 GMT, Soldini and the Maserati continued to lead the fleet 2,810 miles off Rio de Janeiro (total race distance: 3,300 nautical miles), 65 miles ahead of the South African Open 60 Explora in second, and 80 ahead of the third-placed Australian 52’ Scarlet Runner. Maserati is currently reaching in 30 knots of wind which should gradually abate as the day progresses. TheItalian boat is making a very brisk speed of 20-24 knots with peaks of 27-28 knots.
Maserati is skippered by Giovanni Soldini and manned by a highly experienced, tightknit international crew: Italians Guido Broggi, Corrado Rossignoli and Michele Sighel; German Boris Herrmann; Spaniard Carlos Hernandez; French sailors Jacques Vincent and Gwen Riou; Dane MartinKirketerp Ibsen; and, for the first time, Pierre Casiraghi of Monaco.
The current race record of the 14th Cape2Rio Yacht Race is held by Zephyrus IV, a 74’ American maxi which completed the dash in 12 days, 16 hours and 49 minutes in 2000, after particularly favourable conditions (a very southerly anticyclone in the South Atlantic) allowed her to take a very direct course.
Updates with video footage and still photographs from the boat and achart showing Maserati’s position can be found at www.maseratisoldini.it and on the following social networks: Facebook (Giovanni Soldini Pagina Ufficiale, over 26.600 friends) and Twitter @giovannisoldini (over 121.000 followers) and Instagram @giosoldini where the crew will tweet and post images from aboard.
The challenge is sponsored by our main partner, Maserati, after which the yacht is named, and by co-sponsors Swiss bank BSI (Generali Group) and Generali itself.
MASERATI Maserati’s support of and participation in this important Italian sporting and technological challenge underscores the company’s role as a world ambassador for Italian excellence. Maserati itself continues that renowned tradition of excellence each and every day in 65 countries worldwide, through hugely successful luxury cars of the likes of the Quattroporte, the GranTurismo, the GranCabrio and the brand-new Ghibli, whose performance on the road mirrors the achievements of Giovanni Soldini and Maserati on the water.
BSI Bank With around € 72.5 billion of asset management and 140 years of history, BSI is one of the oldest and most important banks in Switzerland. Established in Lugano in 1873, BSI is specialised in private wealth management. Since 1998, the Bank has been wholly owned by the Generali Group, one of the most significant participants in the global insurance andfinancial products market. The Bank places great emphasis on establishing and maintaining ongoing personal relationships with clients, while at the same time offering global asset management services with world-class products. BSI is present in the major financial markets worldwide, in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia.
Generali The Generali Group is one of Europe’s largest insurance providers and its largest life assurer, with a total premium income in 2012 of €70 billion. With 80,000 employees worldwide and 65 million clients in more than 60 countries, the Group occupies a leadership position on Western European markets and is playing an increasingly important role too in Central and Eastern Europe, and Asia.
The official suppliers to the challenge are Zegna Sport (clothing), Vodafone Italia (telecommunication services and official website development) and Boero Bartolomeo S.p.A. (speciaist hull paints and enamels).
The Ermenegildo Zegna Group is a leading luxury menswear brand and one of the most renowned businesses in Italy. Founded in 1910, the company is currently managed by the fourth generation of the Zegna family, with over 540 branded stores in more than 100 countries around the world. The Zegna Sport collection was launched in 1999 as a line of clothing in which functionality, style and advanced technology are the basic ingredients for a high-performance wardrobe. Initially created for sports activities, the contemporary evolution of the collection delivers a total look that is perfect for today’s metropolitan lifestyle.
Vodafone Italia is part of the Vodafone Group, one of the world’s leading mobile communications groups, serving over 404 million clients. The Vodafone Group has a direct presence in more than 30 countries as well as network partnership deals in a further 50. In Italy, Vodafone boasts around 7,500 employees, 8 Competence Centers and in excess of 7,000 stores.
Also aboard Maserati are Eataly (provisioning), Beta Utensili (all professional tools), Corderia Lancelin (specialist lines and cables), Jeppesen (cartography), BG Navico (technical assistance with onboard instrumentation), Cantiere Picchiotti of La Spezia (Maserati’s home base ashore), and the La Spezia Port Authority (Maserati’s home port afloat).
Barbara Sanicola
See Yacht Racing – Ocean Coastal Cape2Rio images
Last Updated ( Monday, 06 January 2014 )