Maserati and Giovanni were the undisputed stars of the prize-giving ceremony held at the Rio de Janeiro Yacht Club, taking every single one of the Cape2Rio honours: race record (10 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes, 57 seconds), line honours, and both overall and IRC 1 victories in handicap time.
Soldini was flanked in his endeavour by a 9-strong international crew: Italians Guido Broggi, Corrado Rossignoli and Michele Sighel; German Boris Herrmann; Spaniard Carlos Hernandez; Jacques Vincent and Gwen Riou from France, Dane Martin Kirketerp Ibsen; and Pierre Casiraghi of Monaco.
A minute’s silence was also held at the prize-giving ceremony in memory of Angolan sailor António João Bartolomeu, who died on January 5th during the ferocious storm that engulfed the Cape2Rio fleet just a few hours after it started from Cape Town. Forty-seven year old Bartolomeu was crewing aboard the Bavaria 55 Bille which capsized in the very high winds and huge waves.