Maserati record!!! 47 day

Flag-waving Italians cheered a revered sailor as he slipped into Pier 39 around noon Saturday, setting a record for sailing from New York to San Francisco.

The finish line..

Giovanni Soldini, internationally known for his feats of endurance at sea, skippered the eight-member Maserati around Cape Horn at the tip of South America in 47 days, 2 hours and 33 minutes. He bested the 1998 monohull record set by a French sailor by 10 days and took claim of the Clipper Challenger's Cup.

Once docked, the 70-foot sailboat was swarmed by adoring fans, many of whom have monitored Soldini's latest maritime conquest via the Internet as closely as a World Cup match.

"We are filled with pride and emotion," said Italian consul general Mauro Battocchi. "We need good heroes, and he is a true Italian hero today." The 13,225-mile voyage is considered one of the most difficult hauls in sailing, particularly maneuvering the mercurial winds and sea at Cape Horn. The late Tom Blackaller, a Bay Area sailor, compared the feat to climbing Everest or swimming the English Channel.
After Soldini emerged from the Maserati he said in halting English that the journey around Cape Horn was mild.

"You can pass if the sea lets you pass," Soldini said. "Otherwise, you don't pass. We were able to pass."
Soldini has completed two solo around-the-world races and competed in more than 30 trans-Atlantic races. He once rescued a fellow racer from certain death after her boat capsized in rough seas 1,900 miles west of Cape Horn.

Soldini said it was the first time he set foot in San Francisco, and he planned to stay for two months before he raced from Los Angeles to Honolulu. "Let's get to know San Francisco," he said. Alessandro Bocchio of Napa, who brought family and friends to Pier 39, got a chance to shake hands and take pictures with the famous sailor.

Bocchio said his 55-year-old mother was watching live coverage of the event from her home in Northern Italy and texted him, "Soldini has arrived in San Francisco!" "It's a big deal for us," Bocchio said. "And that the previous record was set by a Frenchman makes it even better."