Many pages are reporting on the disappointing news that The Transat has moved its race start from Plymouth to Brest stating the loss of 60 years of ocean racing from the city. However, they are failing to report that the OSTAR (see Facebook page… Ostar and Twostar) is the ORIGINAL Transatlantic race which will start from Plymouth in 2020 in the true spirit of Corinthian sailing. The Transat being reported on is the newer offshore race for professional sailors that started from Plymouth in 2004 when the Royal Western YC decided it could no longer afford the cost or responsibility of running a ‘Grand Prix’ type event for the larger, one-design, highly sponsored and professionally skippered boats. The RWYC selected a commercial events organisation, based in France, to run this part of the race. They then continued to run the OSTAR, for professional and experienced skippers alike – sailing any class of boat, especially the smaller boats which had by then been barred from the Transat races. The OSTAR is run as the Corinthian event envisaged by the original founder of the race Blondie Hasler and the other competitors sixty years ago.
CS contacted the BBC’s local newsroom about this report, but there seemed little interest is correcting the story.
In 2020 The Royal Western Yacht Club of England will be celebrating sixty years in which the club introduced and then developed the sport of Short-Handed Oceanic Racing.
Main image shows the satellite positions of the entrants in the 2017 event.