Soldini Wins Around Alone

Boat/US Magazine, July, 1999

Nine months of high seas drama ended at 1:32 a.m. May 8 as Italian single-hander Giovanni Soldini crossed the finish line of the global Around Alone race and became the first non-Frenchman to ever win this event. Soldini, a BOAT/U.S. member, was mobbed by so many fans and journalists in Charleston Harbor that the floating dock actually began to sink.

Soldini, 32, made headlines when he sailed his 60-footer Fila 200 miles at top speed in a Southern Ocean gale to rescue fellow competitor Isabelle Autissier from her capsized boat during Leg 3. For his bravery and sportsmanship, he was awarded the Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal by U.S. Sailing. Overall, Soldini set a new around-the-world record of 116 days, 20 hours, 7 minutes and 59 seconds.