The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

WORLD renowned sailor Giovanni Soldini has made landfall in the Bahamas as he prepares to embark on what he hopes will be a record-breaking journey.

Having arrived into Nassau on Thursday aboard Maserati, considered the fastest monohull boat in the world, Mr Soldini is being hosted by one of his main sponsors, BSI Bank, and is expected to participate in several weekend events in his honour.

Tomorrow he and his nine-member crew will sail to New York and if the weather holds at the end of this month he will attempt to break the New York to Lizard Point sailing world record.

If successful, it would be the latest of a list of world records he has obtained, furthering his reputation as one of the world’s all-time greatest navigators. Maserati is 70 feet long and weighs 15 tonnes .

Mr Soldini, 47, told The Tribune that among his achievements is the speed record for the fastest completion of the journey from Cadiz, Spain to the Bahamian island of San Salvador, which he called the “Christopher Columbus route.”

He embarked on that world record journey on February 2, 2012 and finished ten days later. That performance constituted his first attempt at a speed record in the north Atlantic.

Adding that his Thursday arrival in the Bahamas marks the first time that he has stopped over in this “very nice” country, Mr Soldini explained that his upcoming world record attempt will give him a chance to achieve what has eluded him.

“It’s a very old record we’re trying to beat,” he said. “A very big boat from France has the record. We are much smaller but we can try to beat the record. We tried two years ago. But on day four we ran out of wind. I’m very sure we can beat the record.”

He added that after reaching New York, his team will be “on standby for a nice (weather) situation” before making the world record attempt.

“Maybe we’ll wait a few days or wait until the end of June. We’ll see.”

In 1998, Mr Soldini famously rescued French sailor Isabella Autissier during an Around Alone solo global race after her 60-foot boat capsized in the Southern Ocean. The Italian was leading the fleet when he diverted from his course in search of Ms Autissier, whom he eventually found more than 200 miles away.

Along with Ms Autissier, Mr Soldini arrived safely to his destination of Cape Horn, winning the third leg of the race in 25 days, nine hours and 55 minutes.

For his good deed, he won the French Legion of Honour award in 2000.

He explained yesterday that sailing is very dangerous, particularly when done at high speeds, but he added that he has always followed his passion and loves the adrenaline rush of sailing.

“You could work for six months to prepare for a race and try to control everything but it’s a big challenge,” he said.

BSI Bank, a subsidiary of the Generali Group, is hosting him this weekend. The managing director of the bank’s Bahamas branch, Francesco Creuti, described the bank’s partnership with Mr Soldini as a perfect fit, likening the unpredictable world of sailing to the challenges of operating a bank.