On february 16, 2013 world-renowned Italian sailor Giovanni Soldini and his international crew of eight sailors from five nations has set the new record for sailing the “Golden Route” from New York to San Francisco. The crew pulled into San Francisco Bay aboard the VOR70 Maserati 47 days and 42 minutes after leaving New York and sailing around Cape Horn, following a challenging 13,225-mile route made popular during the Gold Rush. The crew easily eclipsed the record set in 1998 by Yves Parlier when Aquitaine Innovations made the journey in 57 days and 3 hours. The passage around Cape Horn has been their greatest challenge as the waters are particularly hazardous. Strong winds, large waves, powerful currents, as well as icebergs have created its' reputation as a sailors' graveyard.I had the opportunity to be onboard the Maserati during its' five day transfer from La Spezia to Cadiz, where the boat had a one day layover before heading to New York. They would eventually sail south to avoid superstorm Sandy which devastated the northeast coast of the United States. I witnessed, first hand, the crew members training, getting familiar with one another, and learning the most important rule: everyone should be able to do every task on board. No specialists, every crew member should learn from who stands next to him, including the captain himself.
