‘Phaedo3’ and ‘Maserati’ Off to Hawaii

In what we’re calling the Main Event of this year’s Transpac, Phaedo3 and Maserati crossed the starting line yesterday and are sprinting for Honolulu — and possibly into Transpac history. There’s been endless hype about records being set (or more accurately, recent records being broken). Regardless, two heavyweights are about to slug it out on the Pacific.

Phaedo3 and Maserati started on Thursday in Division 0 with three other multihulls — it was the third start for the 2017 Transpac. Also on the line were Mighty Merloe (which many see as a possible spoiler, especially on corrected time), Loe Real and Chim Chim. 

Phaedo3 set the L.A.-to-Honolulu record in May, sailing under ideal conditions. Whether there’ll be enough wind to propel the big trimarans into Transpac fame is anyone’s guess (the start saw exceptionally light air), And whether Maserati’s unique foils will fly her to victory — and yes, a possible record — is also a question we’re eager to see answered. 

"The forecast looks good, even though there will be light winds at the start," Giovanni Soldini was quoted as saying on the Maserati site. "The trade winds should be stable and in the range of 13-20 knots. We start to fly in winds above 14 knots and really get going fast in the range up to 20 knots.

"But the real challenge of the race will be to avoid the objects and debris floating in the water that could damage our foils or rudders. The infamous island of plastic is in the Pacific Ocean, and we have seen a lot of debris in the water here when we have been training. 

"Apart from that, we are really excited: The boat is fine and really fast. We have had some tiring months in the boatyard and Maserati’s team has worked hard to get us ready for this race. Now, we can’t wait to get started."

We’re expecting the trimarans to finish by our Monday ‘Lectronic dealine, and will be watching this weekend.