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Maserati Sets New SF-Shanghai Benchmark

No matter what route you take, it’s a very long sail from San Francisco to Shanghai. Seen here crossing the finish line, Giovanni Soldini and his international crew were obviously thrilled to make landfall. 

Maserati
©Latitude 38 Media, LLC

The VOR70 Maserati arrived at the bustling port of Shanghai, China, Sunday to a festive welcome, having carved more than 10 days off the San Francisco-to-Shanghai record, set way back in 1853 by the China tea clipper Swordfish. The new time of 21 days, 19 hours, 32 minutes and 54 seconds is expected to be officially ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council soon. 

Skippered by renowned ocean racer Giovanni Soldini, Maserati had relatively good luck along its route, reaching the longitude of Hawaii in six days, then later running under the sloop’s largest spinnaker for 10 straight days in trade wind conditions. Early in the trip, though, the international crew was threatened by two tropical storms, and had to slow down to avoid debris in the infamous North Pacific Garbage Patch. Heavy ship traffic and light, shifty winds made the final days especially challenging. 

Maserati’s route, shown here, took advantage of trade winds. If challengers were to choose a more northerly route, they would have a shorter distance to cover, but wind and sea conditions could be more challenging. 

Maserati
©Latitude 38 Media, LLC

It’s anybody’s guess who will challenge this record next. But as Maserati crew members have intimated, their time is certainly not unbreakable. Averaging 14.1 knots, Maserati logged 7,392 nm along their southerly route, compared to the ‘great circle’ distance of 5,334 nm.

Skirting the busy port’s ubiquitous skyscrapers, the globe-trotting Maserati glides across flat waters for a photo op. 

Maserati
©Latitude 38 Media, LLC

What’s next for Soldini and Maserati? Look for them on the starting line of this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Race in late December. Find more on Maserati at the official website

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All the cool kids made the scene at TYC’s big birthday bash. © Jon Price The members of Tiburon Yacht Club, which is located on the east side of Marin County’s Tiburon Peninsula in the waterfront development of Paradise Cay, celebrated their 50th birthday on Saturday night.