
Maserati and Giovanni Soldini continue to lead fleet 180 miles off Rio de Janeiro
Arrival forecast for morning of January 15th
Well within Cape2Rio record time
Exactly 10 days after casting off from Cape Town (SA) at precisely 12h00 GMT on January 14th, Maserati is making a speed of 16 knots 180 miles from Rio de Janeiro and the finish-line of the Cape2Rio Yacht Race.
The current record for the longest race between two continents in the southern hemisphere (3,300 nautical miles) is held by Zephyrus IV, a 74’ American maxi which covered the distance in 12 days, 16 hours and 49 minutes. To beat that time, Maserati has to get to Rio de Janeiro by 04h00 GMT on January 17th.
The weather forecast is for steady 15-knot winds until about 60 miles off Rio. After that, the breeze will be changeable and start dropping. Maserati looks set to sail across the finish-line at dawn on January 15th.
Her nearest rivals continue to lag well behind: the Australian 52’ Scarlet Runner is now 750 miles from Maserati, while the South African Open Explora is 900 miles astern.