Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race
Encyclopedia
The Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race, or STAR, is an east-to-west yacht race
across the North Atlantic. When inaugurated in 1960, it was the first single-handed
ocean yacht race
; it is run from Plymouth
to the USA, and is held every four years.
The race is organised by the Royal Western Yacht Club (RWYC) and was originally sponsored by the UK-based Observer
newspaper, and known as the Observer Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race, or OSTAR; due to changes in sponsorship, it has been known as the CSTAR, Europe 1 STAR, and the Europe 1 New Man STAR. After the race in 2000 the RWYC took the decision to split the race into two events, one using smaller boats and intended for amateurs and young sailors, the other for professionals. The "amateur" event was raced as The OSTAR (meaning "the Original STAR") from 2005. The "professional" version was raced as The Transat from 2004.
and Herbert "Blondie" Hasler
in 1956. The whole idea of a single-handed
ocean yacht race
was a revolutionary concept at the time, as the idea was thought to be extremely impractical; but this was especially true given the adverse conditions of their proposed route — a westward crossing of the north Atlantic Ocean
, against the prevailing winds.
Chichester and Hasler sought sponsorship for a race, but by 1959, no-one had been prepared to back the race; the two men eventually decided that they would race for a half-crown
bet if all else failed. Finally, though, The Observer
newspaper provided sponsorship, and in 1960, under the management of the Royal Western Yacht Club of England, the Observer Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race, or OSTAR, was on.
The first run of the race was a great success; since then, it has run every four years, and has become firmly established as one of the major events on the yachting calendar. The name of the event has changed several times due to changed in main sponsor; it has been known as the CSTAR, Europe 1 STAR, and the Europe 1 New Man STAR. The professional event has been run as The Transat from 2004, while the race smaller boats is run as the OSTAR. Throughout its history, however, the essentials of the race have remained the same. It has also become known as a testbed for new innovations in yacht racing; many new ideas started out in "the STAR".
over a distance of around 3000 nautical miles (5,556 km). The first edition of the race was from Plymouth
to New York City
; the editions from 1964 to 2000 were sailed from Plymouth to Newport, Rhode Island
; the 2004 event sailed from Plymouth to Boston, Massachusetts.
The actual course steered is the decision of the individual skipper, and the result of the race can hinge on the chosen route:
Rhumb line
: The shortest route on paper — i.e. on a Mercator projection
chart — is a route which steers a constant compass course, known as the rhumb line route; this is 2,902 nautical mile
s. This lies between 40 degrees
and 50 degrees north
, and avoids the most severe weather.
Great circle
: The actual shortest route is the great circle
route, which is 2810 nautical miles (5,204.1 km). This goes significantly farther north; sailors following this route frequently encounter fog and icebergs.
Northern route : It is sometimes possible to avoid headwinds by following a far northern route, north of the great circle and above the track followed by depressions. This is a longer way, though, at 3130 nautical miles (5,796.8 km), and places the sailor in greater danger of encountering ice.
Azores
route : A "softer" option can be to sail south, close to the Azores, and across the Atlantic along a more southerly latitude. This route can offer calmer reaching winds, but is longer at 3530 nautical miles (6,537.6 km); the light and variable winds can also lead to slow progress.
Trade wind
route : The most "natural" way to cross the Atlantic westward is to sail south to the trade winds, and then west across the ocean. However, this is the longest route of all, at 4200 nautical miles (7,778.4 km).
This variety of routes is one of the factors which makes an east-to-west north Atlantic crossing interesting, as different skippers try different strategies against each other. In practice, though, the winning route is usually somewhere between the great circle and the rhumb line.
, being the first single-handed
ocean yacht race
. 115 people expressed an interest in the race, and there were eight entries, of whom five actually took part. Only four were at the starting line on June 11, however, as Jean Lacombe arrived late and started three days after the others. All of the boats were monohull
s; this was to be the only edition of the race without multihull
s. It was also the only edition of the race sailed from Plymouth
to New York City
.
The skippers tried a variety of routing strategies. Hasler
chose the northern route, to avoid the depressions; Chichester
and Lewis stayed closer to the great circle; Lacombe and Howells chose more southerly routes. Hasler sailed his junk-rigged Jester; Chichester had by far the longest boat, his 40 feet (12 m) Gipsy Moth III, and this was reflected in the results:
The race had a huge impact on ocean sailing, and in particular solo sailing. Hasler's wind-vane self-steering gear revolutionised short-handed sailing, and his other major innovation — using a junk rig for safer and more manageable shorthanded sailing — influenced many subsequent sailors.
, who entered a custom-built 44 feet (13 m) plywood ketch, Pen Duick II. The days of racers sailing the family boat were numbered following Tabarly's performance, for which he was awarded the Légion d'honneur
by president Charles de Gaulle
. It is also noteworthy that Tabarly and Jean Lacombe were the only French entrants in this race; Tabarly's success was instrumental in popularising the sport in France, the country which in future years would come to dominate it.
This was to be the year in which several future trends were established. Multihull
s made their first appearance — sailing in the same class as the other boats; and the race featured the use of radio, for the first time, by several competitors who gave daily progress reports to their sponsors.
KDF9
, linked by radio to Geoffrey Williams in his boat Sir Thomas Lipton. Although outside private routing advice of this kind is no longer permitted in most "unassisted" races, it is now routine for ocean sailors to do similar analyses using their on-board computers to process public weather information.
Williams created another story by his use of the "shortcut" through the Nantucket Shoal. This dangerous route was supposed to be illegal, but due to an error the race instructions required skippers only to keep south of Nantucket, instead of Nantucket Light. Williams successfully navigated the treacherous route in a gale. Gales were a major feature of the race, with a large storm on the 11th of June, and Hurricane Brenda, both contributing to the large number of retired and abandoned boats; one casualty was Éric Tabarly
, aboard his new trimaran Pen Duick IV.
Although won by a monohull, this race saw the multihulls firmly established on the scene. Thirteen of the 35 boats entered were multihulls, led by the controversial proa
Cheers; many observers felt that a proa was entirely unsuitable for ocean sailing, but she made a fast time along the Azores route.
The top seven finishers:
The 17 non-finishers included Éric Tabarly
on Pen Duick IV, and Alex Carozzo of Italy
on San Giorgio. Carozzo went on to compete in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race
, the other major single-handed sailing event of the year.
The average boat size was increasing rapidly, as longer boats are capable of higher speeds. A sign of the changing times was that the rules had a minimum size, to deter unsafe entries, but no maximum; and so the star of the monohull fleet was Vendredi Treize (Friday the 13th), a 128 feet (39 m) three-masted schooner
— a huge boat for a single-hander. However, the race was now dominated by the multihulls, with a trimaran winning and four of the top six finishers being multis.
The 55 entrants included the first female competitors, two French and one Polish. Sir Francis Chichester
, now 70 years old, sailed with the fleet in Gipsy Moth V; however, he was unable to complete what was to be his last race, and he died later the same year. Peter Crowther made the longest crossing in the race's history while sailing the oldest boat, the 66 year old gaff cutter Golden Vanity; his crossing took 88 days.
The top ten finishers:
There were eleven retirements, and one boat was abandoned.
(which had a crew of 820), this modern boat was expressly designed for easy handling.
The race was organised into three classes: Jester (J): up to 38 ft (12 m); Gipsy Moth (G): 38 to 65 ft (20 m); and Penduick (P): over 65 ft, unlimited. Monohulls and multihulls were not segregated. It is notable that the second-placed boat overall was a trimaran of the smallest class; and perhaps even more so that third place went to a monohull from the same class.
Two major depressions hit the race and caused a record fifty retirements; Tony Bullimore
was rescued by a passing ship after his boat caught fire, and American Mike Flanagan was lost overboard from Galloping Gael. A particularly sad story was that of Mike McMullen, whose wife Lizzie was electrocuted and killed while helping him to prepare Three Cheers for the race, just two days before the start. Believing that Lizzie would have wanted him to go on, he started the race, but was never seen again.
Colas in Club Mediterranée was plagued by halyard
problems; although 330 miles (531 km) in the lead, he was forced to pull in to Halifax, Nova Scotia
to make repairs, and was penalised 58 hours for accepting help. The race then went to Éric Tabarly
, whose win, on the 73 feet (22 m) Pen Duick VI, was his second; it was also the last win for a monohull.
Clare Francis
in Robertson's Golly (Ohlson 38) finished 13th and broke the women's single-handed transatlantic record by three days.
The top finishers (including the top three of each class):
race.
The race was once again dominated by multihulls, with the top five places all taken by trimarans, and marked the end of even competition between monos and multis. Éric Tabarly
was to compete, aboard the hydrofoil trimaran Paul Ricard, but was unable to enter due to injury. The race continued its history of innovation with the first use of the Argos satellite-based tracking system
; this system allows boats to be tracked during the race, and can also be used to signal distress. The use of this system has now become a major feature of many ocean races, such as the Vendée Globe
. The cost of the system was covered by introducing a new race sponsor, the radio station Europe 1
, in conjunction with the Observer.
The winner was American Phil Weld, in only his second OSTAR, whose trimaran Moxie was custom built to the 56 feet (17 m) limit; he set a new course record of 18 days. Many were impressed by this popular sailor's win at the age of 65. The preponderance of larger boats, and particularly multihulls, left the smaller Jesters seriously outclassed; the highest-placed was Free Newspapers, sailed by John Chaundy, who finished in 29th place, with a time of 28 days., http://www.rwyc.org/rwdb/article/view.asp?id=67&sm=OSTAR
The top ten finishers:
The first day of the race saw several dismastings in strong gales, and several skippers were awarded time for rescuing other racers. This resulted in an upset at the finish — Philippe Poupon, sailing the 56 feet (17 m) trimaran Fleury Michon VI, arrived first with a time of 16 days 12 hours, and went to bed thinking that he had won. But the race was awarded to Yvon Fauconnier, who finished 10 hours later but was given a 16-hour time allowance for rendering assistance to Philippe Jeantot
, whose catamaran Credit Agricole had capsized. The winner among the monohulls was Warren Luhrs, in his 60-footer Thursday's Child.
The top ten finishers:
s; Mike Birch's Fujicolor was damaged by a whale, forcing him to retire from the race; and David Sellings was forced to abandon Hyccup after she was sunk by an aggressive pod of whales. The original Jester, which had taken part in every edition of the race, was lost in heavy weather in the tail-end of the fleet.
The top eleven finishers were all Class 1 multihulls. The top five were:
The fastest monohull, UAP 1992, finished 13th. The top five monohulls:
was the top monohull skipper in a new Open 60, setting a monohull record time of 14 days 16 hours.
The top ten finishers included two monohulls:
had a new 60 feet (18 m) trimaran, Fujicolor II, for the 1996 edition of the race; and he led at the start, passing the Eddystone lighthouse at 28 knots (55 km/h). However, Francis Joyon
dominated the race, and 600 miles (965.6 km) from the finish seemed set to win, at which point he was 24 hours ahead of his nearest rival; but his trimaran Banque Populaire was capsized by a gust off Nova Scotia, leaving the race to Peyron.
Peyron's time of 10 days, 10 hours and 5 minutes, was just 50 minutes short of the course record. Peyron was the first person to win two successive editions of the race, and only the second to win twice. Gerry Roufs
won the monohull division, sailing the 60 feet (18 m) Groupe LG2. Italian Giovanni Soldini won the 50 feet (15 m) monohull class, in Telecom Italia.
Only three multihulls overcame the conditions to make the top ten finishers:
and New Man, a French sportswear manufacturer, the fortieth anniversary edition of the OSTAR was run under the title Europe 1 New Man STAR.
A surprising total of 24 Open 60 monohulls entered the race; most of these were using the event as a qualifying run for the Vendée Globe
starting later in the year. One of these was the youngest racer in the fleet at age 23, Ellen MacArthur
in her Open 60 Kingfisher; she beat the big names to become the surprise winner of the monohull division, and the youngest ever winner of the race. The overall winner was Francis Joyon, in his trimaran Eure et Loir.
50 and 60 feet (18 m) multihulls; and IMOCA 50 and 60 feet (18 m) monohulls. Despite stormy conditions, all four classes of boats broke records; seven of the Open 60 monohulls broke the previous monohull record. Several boats suffered damage, however.
35 boats took part with 16 forced to retire. Franco Mozoli won the race in Cotonella, taking 17 days and 21 hours to finish. The 2005 race featured the first single-handed, trans-atlantic crossing by a profoundly deaf person: Gerry Hughes
.
(Foncia) had to retire from the race after a collision with a whale. Sebastien Josse (BT), who was leading, had to retire owing to damage to the mainsail carriage on Saturday 17 May, leaving Vincent Riou (PRB) take the lead on the Sunday morning. Loïck Peyron, on Gitana Eighty, caught up with Vincent Riou, who had to abandon the race due to serious keel damage after a collision with a basking shark on the night of Monday 12 / Tuesday 13 May. The race jury decided to grant two and a half hours of bonus time to Loïck Peyron after he rescued Vincent Riou. Starting on 11 May from Plymouth, Peyron spent 12 days, 11 hours, 15 minutes and 35 seconds (not including the time bonus) to cover the 2,992 miles of the race (averaging 9,938 knots), thus improving previous record of 12 days, 15 hours, 18 minutes and 8 seconds, which was held by Mike Golding
(Ecover).
Yacht racing
Yacht racing is the sport of competitive yachting.While sailing groups organize the most active and popular competitive yachting, other boating events are also held world-wide: speed motorboat racing; competitive canoeing, kayaking, and rowing; model yachting; and navigational contests Yacht racing...
across the North Atlantic. When inaugurated in 1960, it was the first single-handed
Single-handed sailing
The sport of single-handed sailing or solo sailing is sailing with only one crewmember . The term is usually used with reference to ocean and long-distance sailing, and particularly competitive sailing....
ocean yacht race
Yacht racing
Yacht racing is the sport of competitive yachting.While sailing groups organize the most active and popular competitive yachting, other boating events are also held world-wide: speed motorboat racing; competitive canoeing, kayaking, and rowing; model yachting; and navigational contests Yacht racing...
; it is run from Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
to the USA, and is held every four years.
The race is organised by the Royal Western Yacht Club (RWYC) and was originally sponsored by the UK-based Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
newspaper, and known as the Observer Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race, or OSTAR; due to changes in sponsorship, it has been known as the CSTAR, Europe 1 STAR, and the Europe 1 New Man STAR. After the race in 2000 the RWYC took the decision to split the race into two events, one using smaller boats and intended for amateurs and young sailors, the other for professionals. The "amateur" event was raced as The OSTAR (meaning "the Original STAR") from 2005. The "professional" version was raced as The Transat from 2004.
History
The Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race was conceived by Francis ChichesterFrancis Chichester
Sir Francis Charles Chichester KBE , aviator and sailor, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for becoming the first person to sail single-handed around the world by the clipper route, and the fastest circumnavigator, in nine months and one day overall.-Early life:Chichester was born in Barnstaple,...
and Herbert "Blondie" Hasler
Herbert Hasler
Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert George "Blondie" Hasler, DSO, OBE was a distinguished Royal Marines officer in World War II, responsible for many of the concepts which ultimately led to the post-war formation of the Special Boat Service...
in 1956. The whole idea of a single-handed
Single-handed sailing
The sport of single-handed sailing or solo sailing is sailing with only one crewmember . The term is usually used with reference to ocean and long-distance sailing, and particularly competitive sailing....
ocean yacht race
Yacht racing
Yacht racing is the sport of competitive yachting.While sailing groups organize the most active and popular competitive yachting, other boating events are also held world-wide: speed motorboat racing; competitive canoeing, kayaking, and rowing; model yachting; and navigational contests Yacht racing...
was a revolutionary concept at the time, as the idea was thought to be extremely impractical; but this was especially true given the adverse conditions of their proposed route — a westward crossing of the north Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, against the prevailing winds.
Chichester and Hasler sought sponsorship for a race, but by 1959, no-one had been prepared to back the race; the two men eventually decided that they would race for a half-crown
Half crown (British coin)
The half crown was a denomination of British money worth half of a crown, equivalent to two and a half shillings , or one-eighth of a pound. The half crown was first issued in 1549, in the reign of Edward VI...
bet if all else failed. Finally, though, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
newspaper provided sponsorship, and in 1960, under the management of the Royal Western Yacht Club of England, the Observer Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race, or OSTAR, was on.
The first run of the race was a great success; since then, it has run every four years, and has become firmly established as one of the major events on the yachting calendar. The name of the event has changed several times due to changed in main sponsor; it has been known as the CSTAR, Europe 1 STAR, and the Europe 1 New Man STAR. The professional event has been run as The Transat from 2004, while the race smaller boats is run as the OSTAR. Throughout its history, however, the essentials of the race have remained the same. It has also become known as a testbed for new innovations in yacht racing; many new ideas started out in "the STAR".
The race
The course of the race is westwards against the prevailing winds of the north AtlanticAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
over a distance of around 3000 nautical miles (5,556 km). The first edition of the race was from Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; the editions from 1964 to 2000 were sailed from Plymouth to Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
; the 2004 event sailed from Plymouth to Boston, Massachusetts.
The actual course steered is the decision of the individual skipper, and the result of the race can hinge on the chosen route:
Rhumb line
Rhumb line
In navigation, a rhumb line is a line crossing all meridians of longitude at the same angle, i.e. a path derived from a defined initial bearing...
: The shortest route on paper — i.e. on a Mercator projection
Mercator projection
The Mercator projection is a cylindrical map projection presented by the Belgian geographer and cartographer Gerardus Mercator, in 1569. It became the standard map projection for nautical purposes because of its ability to represent lines of constant course, known as rhumb lines or loxodromes, as...
chart — is a route which steers a constant compass course, known as the rhumb line route; this is 2,902 nautical mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
s. This lies between 40 degrees
40th parallel north
The 40th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 40 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
and 50 degrees north
50th parallel north
The 50th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 50 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
, and avoids the most severe weather.
Great circle
Great circle
A great circle, also known as a Riemannian circle, of a sphere is the intersection of the sphere and a plane which passes through the center point of the sphere, as opposed to a general circle of a sphere where the plane is not required to pass through the center...
: The actual shortest route is the great circle
Great circle
A great circle, also known as a Riemannian circle, of a sphere is the intersection of the sphere and a plane which passes through the center point of the sphere, as opposed to a general circle of a sphere where the plane is not required to pass through the center...
route, which is 2810 nautical miles (5,204.1 km). This goes significantly farther north; sailors following this route frequently encounter fog and icebergs.
Northern route : It is sometimes possible to avoid headwinds by following a far northern route, north of the great circle and above the track followed by depressions. This is a longer way, though, at 3130 nautical miles (5,796.8 km), and places the sailor in greater danger of encountering ice.
Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
route : A "softer" option can be to sail south, close to the Azores, and across the Atlantic along a more southerly latitude. This route can offer calmer reaching winds, but is longer at 3530 nautical miles (6,537.6 km); the light and variable winds can also lead to slow progress.
Trade wind
Trade wind
The trade winds are the prevailing pattern of easterly surface winds found in the tropics, within the lower portion of the Earth's atmosphere, in the lower section of the troposphere near the Earth's equator...
route : The most "natural" way to cross the Atlantic westward is to sail south to the trade winds, and then west across the ocean. However, this is the longest route of all, at 4200 nautical miles (7,778.4 km).
This variety of routes is one of the factors which makes an east-to-west north Atlantic crossing interesting, as different skippers try different strategies against each other. In practice, though, the winning route is usually somewhere between the great circle and the rhumb line.
The OSTAR, 1960
The Observer Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race of 1960 was a milestone in sailingSailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
, being the first single-handed
Single-handed sailing
The sport of single-handed sailing or solo sailing is sailing with only one crewmember . The term is usually used with reference to ocean and long-distance sailing, and particularly competitive sailing....
ocean yacht race
Yacht racing
Yacht racing is the sport of competitive yachting.While sailing groups organize the most active and popular competitive yachting, other boating events are also held world-wide: speed motorboat racing; competitive canoeing, kayaking, and rowing; model yachting; and navigational contests Yacht racing...
. 115 people expressed an interest in the race, and there were eight entries, of whom five actually took part. Only four were at the starting line on June 11, however, as Jean Lacombe arrived late and started three days after the others. All of the boats were monohull
Monohull
rightA monohull is a type of boat having only one hull, unlike multihulled boats which can have two or more individual hulls connected to one another.-Fundamental concept:...
s; this was to be the only edition of the race without multihull
Multihull
A multihull is a ship, vessel, craft or boat with more than one hull.-Description:Multihulls include: Proas, which have two differently shaped or sized hulls with lateral symmetry; catamarans, which have two hulls with longitudinal symmetry; and trimarans, which have a main hull in the center and...
s. It was also the only edition of the race sailed from Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
The skippers tried a variety of routing strategies. Hasler
Herbert Hasler
Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert George "Blondie" Hasler, DSO, OBE was a distinguished Royal Marines officer in World War II, responsible for many of the concepts which ultimately led to the post-war formation of the Special Boat Service...
chose the northern route, to avoid the depressions; Chichester
Francis Chichester
Sir Francis Charles Chichester KBE , aviator and sailor, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for becoming the first person to sail single-handed around the world by the clipper route, and the fastest circumnavigator, in nine months and one day overall.-Early life:Chichester was born in Barnstaple,...
and Lewis stayed closer to the great circle; Lacombe and Howells chose more southerly routes. Hasler sailed his junk-rigged Jester; Chichester had by far the longest boat, his 40 feet (12 m) Gipsy Moth III, and this was reflected in the results:
| Skipper | Boat | Nationality | Class | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francis Chichester Francis Chichester Sir Francis Charles Chichester KBE , aviator and sailor, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for becoming the first person to sail single-handed around the world by the clipper route, and the fastest circumnavigator, in nine months and one day overall.-Early life:Chichester was born in Barnstaple,... |
Gipsy Moth III | Mono-40 | 40 days 12 hours 30 min | |
| Blondie Hasler Herbert Hasler Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert George "Blondie" Hasler, DSO, OBE was a distinguished Royal Marines officer in World War II, responsible for many of the concepts which ultimately led to the post-war formation of the Special Boat Service... |
Jester | Mono-26 | 48 days 12 hours 02 min | |
| David Lewis | Cardinal Vertue | Mono-25 | 55 days 00 hours 50 min | |
| Val Howells | EIRA | Mono-25 | 62 days 05 hours 50 min | |
| Jean Lacombe | Cap Horn | Mono-21.5 | 74 days ?? hours ?? min |
The race had a huge impact on ocean sailing, and in particular solo sailing. Hasler's wind-vane self-steering gear revolutionised short-handed sailing, and his other major innovation — using a junk rig for safer and more manageable shorthanded sailing — influenced many subsequent sailors.
The OSTAR, 1964
Thirteen competitors started the next edition of the race in 1964, which by now was firmly established on the racing scene. All of the five original competitors entered, and all five improved their original times; but the show was stolen by French naval officer Éric TabarlyÉric Tabarly
Éric Tabarly was a notable French yachtsman.A former officer in the French navy who is often considered the father of French yachting....
, who entered a custom-built 44 feet (13 m) plywood ketch, Pen Duick II. The days of racers sailing the family boat were numbered following Tabarly's performance, for which he was awarded the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
by president Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
. It is also noteworthy that Tabarly and Jean Lacombe were the only French entrants in this race; Tabarly's success was instrumental in popularising the sport in France, the country which in future years would come to dominate it.
This was to be the year in which several future trends were established. Multihull
Multihull
A multihull is a ship, vessel, craft or boat with more than one hull.-Description:Multihulls include: Proas, which have two differently shaped or sized hulls with lateral symmetry; catamarans, which have two hulls with longitudinal symmetry; and trimarans, which have a main hull in the center and...
s made their first appearance — sailing in the same class as the other boats; and the race featured the use of radio, for the first time, by several competitors who gave daily progress reports to their sponsors.
| Skipper | Boat | Nationality | Class | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Éric Tabarly Éric Tabarly Éric Tabarly was a notable French yachtsman.A former officer in the French navy who is often considered the father of French yachting.... |
Pen Duick II | Mono-44 | 27 days 03 hours 56 min | |
| Francis Chichester Francis Chichester Sir Francis Charles Chichester KBE , aviator and sailor, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for becoming the first person to sail single-handed around the world by the clipper route, and the fastest circumnavigator, in nine months and one day overall.-Early life:Chichester was born in Barnstaple,... |
Gipsy Moth III | Mono-40 | 29 days 23 hours 57 min | |
| Val Howells | Akka | Mono-35 | 32 days 18 hours 08 min | |
| Alec Rose Alec Rose Sir Alec Rose was a nursery owner and fruit merchant in England who had a passion for amateur single-handed sailing, for which he was ultimately knighted.... |
Lively Lady | Mono-36 | 36 days 17 hours 30 min | |
| Blondie Hasler Herbert Hasler Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert George "Blondie" Hasler, DSO, OBE was a distinguished Royal Marines officer in World War II, responsible for many of the concepts which ultimately led to the post-war formation of the Special Boat Service... |
Jester | Mono-26 | 37 days 22 hours 05 min | |
| Bill Howell | Stardrift | Mono-30 | 38 days 03 hours 23 min | |
| David Lewis | Rehu Moana | Cat-40 | 38 days 12 hours 04 min | |
| Mike Ellison | Ilala | Mono-36 | 46 days 06 hours 26 min | |
| Jean Lacombe | Golif | Mono-22 | 46 days 07 hours 05 min | |
| Bob Bunker | Vanda Caelea | Mono-25 | 49 days 18 hours 45 min | |
| Mike Butterfield | Misty Miller | Cat-30 | 53 days 00 hours 05 min | |
| Geoffrey Chaffey | Ericht 2 | Mono-31 | 60 days 11 hours 15 min | |
| Derek Kelsall | Folatre | Tri-35 | 61 days 14 hours 04 min | |
| Axel Penderson | Marco Polo | Mono-28 | 63 days 13 hours 30 min | |
| Robin McCurdy | Tammie Norie | Mono-40 | retired |
The OSTAR, 1968
The race was by now acquiring a reputation for pushing forward the technology of ocean sailing, and the 1968 edition featured the first ever use of computer-based weather routing. A far cry from today's laptop-laden yachts, this consisted of a land-based mainframe computer, the English ElectricEnglish Electric
English Electric was a British industrial manufacturer. Founded in 1918, it initially specialised in industrial electric motors and transformers...
KDF9
English Electric KDF9
KDF9 was an early British computer designed and built by English Electric, later English Electric Leo Marconi, EELM, later still incorporated into ICL. It first came into service in 1964 and was still in use in 1980 in at least one installation...
, linked by radio to Geoffrey Williams in his boat Sir Thomas Lipton. Although outside private routing advice of this kind is no longer permitted in most "unassisted" races, it is now routine for ocean sailors to do similar analyses using their on-board computers to process public weather information.
Williams created another story by his use of the "shortcut" through the Nantucket Shoal. This dangerous route was supposed to be illegal, but due to an error the race instructions required skippers only to keep south of Nantucket, instead of Nantucket Light. Williams successfully navigated the treacherous route in a gale. Gales were a major feature of the race, with a large storm on the 11th of June, and Hurricane Brenda, both contributing to the large number of retired and abandoned boats; one casualty was Éric Tabarly
Éric Tabarly
Éric Tabarly was a notable French yachtsman.A former officer in the French navy who is often considered the father of French yachting....
, aboard his new trimaran Pen Duick IV.
Although won by a monohull, this race saw the multihulls firmly established on the scene. Thirteen of the 35 boats entered were multihulls, led by the controversial proa
Proa
A proa, also seen as prau, perahu, and prahu, is a type of multihull sailing vessel.While the word perahu and proa are generic terms meaning boat their native language, proa in Western languages has come to describe a vessel consisting of two unequal length parallel hulls...
Cheers; many observers felt that a proa was entirely unsuitable for ocean sailing, but she made a fast time along the Azores route.
The top seven finishers:
| Skipper | Boat | Nationality | Class | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geoffrey Williams | Sir Thomas Lipton | Mono-57 | 25 days 20 hours 33 min | |
| Bruce Dalling Bruce Dalling Bruce Dalling was a Springbok South African yachtsman, national hero, also advocate and farmer, best known for taking second place on elapsed time and first on corrected time for the monohull award in the 1968 Observer Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race.- Biography :Dalling was born in Johannesburg... |
Voortrekker | Mono-50 | 26 days 13 hours 42 min | |
| Tom Follett | Cheers | Proa-40 | 27 days 00 hours 13 min | |
| Leslie Williams | Spirit of Cutty Sark | Mono-53 | 29 days 10 hours 17 min | |
| Bill Howell | Golden Cockerel | Cat-42.5 | 31 days 16 hours 24 min | |
| Brian Cooke | Opus | Mono-32 | 34 days 08 hours 23 min | |
| Martin Minter-Kemp | Gancia Girl | Tri-42 | 34 days 13 hours 15 min |
The 17 non-finishers included Éric Tabarly
Éric Tabarly
Éric Tabarly was a notable French yachtsman.A former officer in the French navy who is often considered the father of French yachting....
on Pen Duick IV, and Alex Carozzo of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
on San Giorgio. Carozzo went on to compete in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race
Sunday Times Golden Globe Race
The Sunday Times Golden Globe Race was a non-stop, single-handed, round-the-world yacht race, held in 1968–1969, and was the first round-the-world yacht race...
, the other major single-handed sailing event of the year.
The OSTAR, 1972
Tabarly's trimaran Pen Duick IV made a return to the race in 1972, sailed by Alain Colas, at the head of a strong French contingent; of the 55 entrants, 12 were French, and the top three finishers were all French.The average boat size was increasing rapidly, as longer boats are capable of higher speeds. A sign of the changing times was that the rules had a minimum size, to deter unsafe entries, but no maximum; and so the star of the monohull fleet was Vendredi Treize (Friday the 13th), a 128 feet (39 m) three-masted schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
— a huge boat for a single-hander. However, the race was now dominated by the multihulls, with a trimaran winning and four of the top six finishers being multis.
The 55 entrants included the first female competitors, two French and one Polish. Sir Francis Chichester
Francis Chichester
Sir Francis Charles Chichester KBE , aviator and sailor, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for becoming the first person to sail single-handed around the world by the clipper route, and the fastest circumnavigator, in nine months and one day overall.-Early life:Chichester was born in Barnstaple,...
, now 70 years old, sailed with the fleet in Gipsy Moth V; however, he was unable to complete what was to be his last race, and he died later the same year. Peter Crowther made the longest crossing in the race's history while sailing the oldest boat, the 66 year old gaff cutter Golden Vanity; his crossing took 88 days.
The top ten finishers:
| Skipper | Boat | Nationality | Class | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alain Colas | Pen Duick IV | Tri-70 | 20 days 13 hours 15 min | |
| Jean-Yves Terlain | Vendredi Treize | Mono-128 | 21 days 05 hours 14 min | |
| Jean-Marie Vidal | Cap 33 | Tri-53 | 24 days 05 hours 40 min | |
| Brian Cooke | British Steel | Mono-59 | 24 days 19 hours 28 min | |
| Tom Follett | Three Cheers | Tri-46 | 27 days 11 hours 04 min | |
| Gerard Pesty | Architeuthis | Tri-55 | 28 days 11 hours 55 min | |
| Martin Minter-Kemp | Strongbow | Mono-65 | 28 days 12 hours 46 min | |
| Alain Gliksman | Toucan | Mono-34.5 | 28 days 12 hours 54 min | |
| Franco Faggioni | Sagittario | Mono-50.5 | 28 days 23 hours 05 min | |
| James Ferris | Whisper | Mono-53.5 | 29 days 11 hours 15 min |
There were eleven retirements, and one boat was abandoned.
The OSTAR, 1976
1976 saw the biggest edition of the race, in all senses. 125 boats entered, and the 128 feet (39 m) Vendredi Treize returned as ITT Oceanic. However, the all-time size record for the race, and probably for any single-hander, was set by Alain Colas, sailing the 236 feet (72 m) four-masted schooner Club Mediterranée. Although about the same overall length as HMS VictoryHMS Victory
HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. She is most famous as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805....
(which had a crew of 820), this modern boat was expressly designed for easy handling.
The race was organised into three classes: Jester (J): up to 38 ft (12 m); Gipsy Moth (G): 38 to 65 ft (20 m); and Penduick (P): over 65 ft, unlimited. Monohulls and multihulls were not segregated. It is notable that the second-placed boat overall was a trimaran of the smallest class; and perhaps even more so that third place went to a monohull from the same class.
Two major depressions hit the race and caused a record fifty retirements; Tony Bullimore
Tony Bullimore
Tony Bullimore is a British sailor from Bristol.He is most famous for being rescued during the 1996 Vendee Globe single handed around the world race. The race was marked by a number of incidents including the death of another contestant, Gerry Roufs...
was rescued by a passing ship after his boat caught fire, and American Mike Flanagan was lost overboard from Galloping Gael. A particularly sad story was that of Mike McMullen, whose wife Lizzie was electrocuted and killed while helping him to prepare Three Cheers for the race, just two days before the start. Believing that Lizzie would have wanted him to go on, he started the race, but was never seen again.
Colas in Club Mediterranée was plagued by halyard
Halyard
In sailing, a halyard or halliard is a line that is used to hoist a sail, a flag or a yard. The term halyard comes from the phrase, 'to haul yards'...
problems; although 330 miles (531 km) in the lead, he was forced to pull in to Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
to make repairs, and was penalised 58 hours for accepting help. The race then went to Éric Tabarly
Éric Tabarly
Éric Tabarly was a notable French yachtsman.A former officer in the French navy who is often considered the father of French yachting....
, whose win, on the 73 feet (22 m) Pen Duick VI, was his second; it was also the last win for a monohull.
Clare Francis
Clare Francis
Clare Mary Francis MBE is a British novelist also known for her former career as a yachtswoman.Clare Francis was born in Thames Ditton, Surrey, and spent summer holidays on the Isle of Wight, where she learnt to sail...
in Robertson's Golly (Ohlson 38) finished 13th and broke the women's single-handed transatlantic record by three days.
The top finishers (including the top three of each class):
| Skipper | Boat | Nationality | Class | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Éric Tabarly Éric Tabarly Éric Tabarly was a notable French yachtsman.A former officer in the French navy who is often considered the father of French yachting.... |
Pen Duick VI | Mono-73(P) | 23 days 20 hours 12 min | |
| Mike Birch | The Third Turtle | Tri-32(J) | 24 days 20 hours 39 min | |
| Kazimierz Jaworski | Spaniel | Mono-38(J) | 24 days 23 hours 40 min | |
| Tom Grossman | Cap 33 | Tri-53(P) | 26 days 08 hours 15 min | |
| Alain Colas | Club Mediterranée | Mono-236(P) | 26 days 13 hours 36 min | |
| Jean Claude Parisis | Petrouchka | Mono-47(G) | 27 days 00 hours 55 min | |
| David Palmer | FT | Tri-35(J) | 27 days 07 hours 45 min | |
| Walter Greene | Friends | Tri-30(J) | 27 days 10 hours 37 min | |
| Jaques Timsit | Arauna IV | Mono-38(G) | 27 days 15 hours 32 min | |
| Alain Gabbay | Objectif Sud 3 | Mono-38(J) | 28 days 09 hours 58 min | |
| Francis Stokes | Moonshine | Mono-40(G) | 28 days 12 hours 46 min |
The 1/OSTAR, 1980
The 1980 race introduced a length limit of 56 feet overall, in order to curb the excesses of previous races. The class sizes were adjusted downwards: Jester (J): up to 32 ft (10 m); Gipsy Moth (G): 32 to 44 ft (13 m); Penduick (P): 44 to 56 ft (17 m). The new restrictions were unpopular with some sailors, particularly the French, many of whom opted to sail instead in the new Route du RhumRoute du Rhum
The Route du Rhum is a transatlantic single-handed yacht race, which takes places every 4 years in November. The course is between Saint Malo, Brittany, France and Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, France...
race.
The race was once again dominated by multihulls, with the top five places all taken by trimarans, and marked the end of even competition between monos and multis. Éric Tabarly
Éric Tabarly
Éric Tabarly was a notable French yachtsman.A former officer in the French navy who is often considered the father of French yachting....
was to compete, aboard the hydrofoil trimaran Paul Ricard, but was unable to enter due to injury. The race continued its history of innovation with the first use of the Argos satellite-based tracking system
Argos System
Argos is a satellite-based system which collects, processes and disseminates environmental data from fixed and mobile platforms worldwide. What makes Argos unique is the ability to geographically locate the source of the data anywhere on the Earth utilizing the Doppler effect...
; this system allows boats to be tracked during the race, and can also be used to signal distress. The use of this system has now become a major feature of many ocean races, such as the Vendée Globe
Vendée Globe
The Vendée Globe is a round-the-world single-handed yacht race, sailed non-stop and without assistance. The race was founded by Philippe Jeantot in 1989, and since 1992 has taken place every four years....
. The cost of the system was covered by introducing a new race sponsor, the radio station Europe 1
Europe 1
Europe 1, formerly known as Europe n° 1, is a privately owned radio network created in 1955. It is one of the leading French radio broadcasters and heard throughout France...
, in conjunction with the Observer.
The winner was American Phil Weld, in only his second OSTAR, whose trimaran Moxie was custom built to the 56 feet (17 m) limit; he set a new course record of 18 days. Many were impressed by this popular sailor's win at the age of 65. The preponderance of larger boats, and particularly multihulls, left the smaller Jesters seriously outclassed; the highest-placed was Free Newspapers, sailed by John Chaundy, who finished in 29th place, with a time of 28 days., http://www.rwyc.org/rwdb/article/view.asp?id=67&sm=OSTAR
The top ten finishers:
| Skipper | Boat | Nationality | Class | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Weld | Moxie | Tri-51(P) | 17 days 23 hours 12 min | |
| Nick Keig | Three Legs of Mann III | Tri-53(P) | 18 days 06 hours 04 min | |
| Philip Steggall | Jeans Foster | Tri-38(G) | 18 days 06 hours 45 min | |
| Mike Birch | Olympus Photo | Tri-46(P) | 18 days 07 hours 15 min | |
| Walter Greene | Chaussettes Olympia | Tri-35(G) | 18 days 17 hours 29 min | |
| Kazimierz Jaworski | Spaniel II | Mono-56(P) | 19 days 13 hours 25 min | |
| Czesław Gogołkiewicz | Raczyński 2 | Mono-56(P) | Collision | |
| Edoardo Austoni | Chica Boba | Mono-56(P) | 20 days 02 hours 30 min | |
| Daniel Gilard | Brittany Ferries I | Mono-44(G) | 21 days 00 hours 09 min | |
| Richard Konkolski Richard Konkolski Richard Konkolski, Czech-American around-the-world sailor, born July 6, 1943 in Oderberg, Nazi Germany , naturalized US citizen since 1994.-References: Biography... |
Nike II | Mono-44(G) | 21 days 06 hours 21 min | |
| Tom Grossman | Kriter VII | Tri-56(P) | 21 days 08 hours 01 min |
The 1/OSTAR, 1984
The 1984 race saw the pace of technical innovation continue to accelerate. Custom-built trimarans were again the main force, but the monohulls also advanced, with the introduction of water ballast and other innovations. Some controversy over the size limitations in the previous race resulted in slightly larger classes, and the removal of restrictions on bow and stern overhangs; yachts were divided into five classes, but still with no distinction between monohulls and multihulls. Europe 1 continued to support the race, and Argos beacons were again used by all boats.The first day of the race saw several dismastings in strong gales, and several skippers were awarded time for rescuing other racers. This resulted in an upset at the finish — Philippe Poupon, sailing the 56 feet (17 m) trimaran Fleury Michon VI, arrived first with a time of 16 days 12 hours, and went to bed thinking that he had won. But the race was awarded to Yvon Fauconnier, who finished 10 hours later but was given a 16-hour time allowance for rendering assistance to Philippe Jeantot
Philippe Jeantot
Philippe Jeantot is a French former deep sea diver, who achieved recognition as a sailor for long-distance, single-handed racing and record-setting...
, whose catamaran Credit Agricole had capsized. The winner among the monohulls was Warren Luhrs, in his 60-footer Thursday's Child.
The top ten finishers:
| Skipper | Boat | Nationality | Class | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yvon Fauconnier | Umupro Jardin V | Tri-53(I) | 16 days 06 hours 25 min | |
| Philippe Poupon | Fleury Michon | Tri-56(I) | 16 days 12 hours 25 min | |
| Marc Pajot | Elf Aquitaine II | Cat-59(I) | 16 days 12 hours 48 min | |
| Éric Tabarly Éric Tabarly Éric Tabarly was a notable French yachtsman.A former officer in the French navy who is often considered the father of French yachting.... |
Paul Ricard | Tri-60(I) | 16 days 14 hours 21 min | |
| Peter Philips | Travacrest Seaway | Tri-60(I) | 16 days 17 hours 23 min | |
| Daniel Gilard | Nantes | Tri-60(I) | 16 days 17 hours 51 min | |
| Olivier Moussy | Region Centre | Tri-45(II) | 16 days 19 hours 16 min | |
| Bruno Peyron Bruno Peyron Bruno Tristan Peyron is a French yachtsman who, along with his crew on the catamaran Orange II, broke the outright round-the-world sailing record in March 2005. He was the first winner of the Jules Verne Trophy in 1994, for completing a round-the-world trip in under 80 days... |
L'iglon | Cat-60(I) | 16 days 20 hours 21 min | |
| Francois Boucher | Ker Cadelac | Tri-50(I) | 16 days 21 hours 48 min | |
| Warren Luhrs | Thursday's Child | Mono-60(I) | 16 days 22 hours 27 min |
The CSTAR, 1988
With Carlsberg taking over as main sponsor, the Carlsberg Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race of 1988 saw 95 entrants, with custom-built multihulls again dominating. Favourable weather made ideal conditions for a fast pace, and indeed Philippe Poupon's winning time set a new race record of 10 days, 9 hours and 10 minutes. One of the main hazards of the race was damage by whaleWhale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
s; Mike Birch's Fujicolor was damaged by a whale, forcing him to retire from the race; and David Sellings was forced to abandon Hyccup after she was sunk by an aggressive pod of whales. The original Jester, which had taken part in every edition of the race, was lost in heavy weather in the tail-end of the fleet.
The top eleven finishers were all Class 1 multihulls. The top five were:
| Skipper | Boat | Nationality | Class | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philippe Poupon | Fleury Michon | Tri-60(I) | 10 days 09 hours 15 min | |
| Olivier Moussy | Laiterie Mt St Michel | Tri-60(I) | 11 days 04 hours 17 min | |
| Loïck Peyron Loïck Peyron Loïck Peyron, born 1 December 1959 in Nantes, is a French yachtsman, younger brother of the yachtsman Bruno Peyron.He is particularly famous for winning many races in the 1990s on board his trimaran Fujicolor... |
Lada Poch II | Tri-60(I) | 11 days 09 hours 02 min | |
| Philip Steggall | Sebago | Tri-60(I) | 11 days 09 hours 55 min | |
| Bruno Peyron Bruno Peyron Bruno Tristan Peyron is a French yachtsman who, along with his crew on the catamaran Orange II, broke the outright round-the-world sailing record in March 2005. He was the first winner of the Jules Verne Trophy in 1994, for completing a round-the-world trip in under 80 days... |
VSD | Cat-60(I) | 12 days 23 hours 20 min |
The fastest monohull, UAP 1992, finished 13th. The top five monohulls:
| Skipper | Boat | Nationality | Class | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jean Yves Terlain | UAP 1992 | Mono-60(I) | 17 days 04 hours 05 min | |
| John Martin | Allied Bank | Mono-60(I) | 17 days 08 hours 18 min | |
| Jose Ugarte | Castrol Solo | Mono-60(I) | 17 days 21 hours 47 min | |
| Titouan Lamazou | Ecureuil d'Aquitaine | Mono-60(I) | 18 days 07 hours 00 min | |
| Courtney Hazelton | Mariko | Mono-45(III) | 21 days 05 hours 44 min |
The Europe 1 STAR, 1992
The Europe 1 Star of 1992 saw the fleet beset by a full range of hazards — storms, icebergs, trawlers, fog and whales hit boats on the northern route, before they were finally becalmed off Newfoundland. The monohulls managed the heavy conditions and crosswinds quite well, but the multis were plagued with capsizes and damage. Yves ParlierYves Parlier
Yves Parlier is a French sailor. He is very well known in the offshore sailing world and generally in France, where he was France's top sports personality in 2002....
was the top monohull skipper in a new Open 60, setting a monohull record time of 14 days 16 hours.
The top ten finishers included two monohulls:
| Skipper | Boat | Class | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loïck Peyron Loïck Peyron Loïck Peyron, born 1 December 1959 in Nantes, is a French yachtsman, younger brother of the yachtsman Bruno Peyron.He is particularly famous for winning many races in the 1990s on board his trimaran Fujicolor... |
Fujicolor | Tri-60(1) | 11 days 01 hours 35 min |
| Paul Vatine | Haute-Normandie | Tri-60(1) | 12 days 07 hours 49 min |
| Francis Joyon Francis Joyon Francis Joyon is a professional sail boat racer and yachtsman, and currently holds the record for the fastest single-handed sailing circumnavigation.... |
Banque Populaire | Tri(1) | 12 days 09 hours 14 min |
| Hervé Laurent | Took Took | Tri-60(1) | 13 days 04 hours 01 min |
| Laurent Bourgnon | Primagaz | Tri-60(1) | 13 days 07 hours 40 min |
| Yves Parlier Yves Parlier Yves Parlier is a French sailor. He is very well known in the offshore sailing world and generally in France, where he was France's top sports personality in 2002.... |
Cacolac d'Aquitaine | Mono-60(1) | 14 days 16 hours 01 min |
| Etienne Giroire | Up My Sleeve | Tri-40(4) | 16 days 06 hours 45 min |
| Mark Gatehouse | Queen Anne's Battery | Mono-60(1) | 16 days 11 hours 30 min |
| Hervé Cléris | C L M | Tri-50(2) | 16 days 12 hours 17 min |
| Pascal Hérold | Dupon Duran | Tri-50(2) | 16 days 20 hours 16 min |
The Europe 1 STAR, 1996
Loïck PeyronLoïck Peyron
Loïck Peyron, born 1 December 1959 in Nantes, is a French yachtsman, younger brother of the yachtsman Bruno Peyron.He is particularly famous for winning many races in the 1990s on board his trimaran Fujicolor...
had a new 60 feet (18 m) trimaran, Fujicolor II, for the 1996 edition of the race; and he led at the start, passing the Eddystone lighthouse at 28 knots (55 km/h). However, Francis Joyon
Francis Joyon
Francis Joyon is a professional sail boat racer and yachtsman, and currently holds the record for the fastest single-handed sailing circumnavigation....
dominated the race, and 600 miles (965.6 km) from the finish seemed set to win, at which point he was 24 hours ahead of his nearest rival; but his trimaran Banque Populaire was capsized by a gust off Nova Scotia, leaving the race to Peyron.
Peyron's time of 10 days, 10 hours and 5 minutes, was just 50 minutes short of the course record. Peyron was the first person to win two successive editions of the race, and only the second to win twice. Gerry Roufs
Gerry Roufs
Gerry Roufs , was a competitive sailor.-Sailing Career:In 1978, Jerry Roufs, along with crew Charles Robitaille placed second at the 470 class World Championships held in Marstrand, Sweden...
won the monohull division, sailing the 60 feet (18 m) Groupe LG2. Italian Giovanni Soldini won the 50 feet (15 m) monohull class, in Telecom Italia.
Only three multihulls overcame the conditions to make the top ten finishers:
| Skipper | Boat | Class | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loïck Peyron Loïck Peyron Loïck Peyron, born 1 December 1959 in Nantes, is a French yachtsman, younger brother of the yachtsman Bruno Peyron.He is particularly famous for winning many races in the 1990s on board his trimaran Fujicolor... |
Fujucolour II | Tri-60(1) | 10 days 10 hours 05 min |
| Paul Vatine | Region Haute Normandie | Tri-60(1) | 10 days 13 hours 05 min |
| Mike Birch | Biscuits la Trinitaine | Tri-60(1) | 14 days 12 hours 55 min |
| Gerry Roufs Gerry Roufs Gerry Roufs , was a competitive sailor.-Sailing Career:In 1978, Jerry Roufs, along with crew Charles Robitaille placed second at the 470 class World Championships held in Marstrand, Sweden... |
Groupe LG 2 | Mono-60(1) | 15 days 14 hours 50 min |
| Giovanni Soldini | Telecom Italia | Mono-50(2) | 15 days 18 hours 29 min |
| Josh Hall | Gartmore Investments | Mono-60(1) | 16 days 15 hours 56 min |
| Vittorio Malingri | Anicaflash | Mono-60(1) | 16 days 19 hours 24 min |
| Hervé Laurent | Groupe LG1 | Mono-60(1) | 17 days 00 hours 55 min |
| Eric Dumont | Café Legal le Gout | Mono-60(1) | 17 days 01 hours 11 min |
| Catherine Chabaud | Whirlpool-Vital-Europe 2 | Mono-60(1) | 17 days 06 hours 43 min |
The Europe 1 New Man STAR, 2000
With sponsorship from Europe 1Europe 1
Europe 1, formerly known as Europe n° 1, is a privately owned radio network created in 1955. It is one of the leading French radio broadcasters and heard throughout France...
and New Man, a French sportswear manufacturer, the fortieth anniversary edition of the OSTAR was run under the title Europe 1 New Man STAR.
A surprising total of 24 Open 60 monohulls entered the race; most of these were using the event as a qualifying run for the Vendée Globe
Vendée Globe
The Vendée Globe is a round-the-world single-handed yacht race, sailed non-stop and without assistance. The race was founded by Philippe Jeantot in 1989, and since 1992 has taken place every four years....
starting later in the year. One of these was the youngest racer in the fleet at age 23, Ellen MacArthur
Ellen MacArthur
Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur, DBE is an English sailor, up until 2009, from Whatstandwell near Matlock in Derbyshire, now based in West Cowes, on the Isle of Wight. She is best known as a solo long-distance yachtswoman. On 7 February 2005 she broke the world record for the fastest solo...
in her Open 60 Kingfisher; she beat the big names to become the surprise winner of the monohull division, and the youngest ever winner of the race. The overall winner was Francis Joyon, in his trimaran Eure et Loir.
| Skipper | Boat | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORMA 60 Multihulls | |||
| Francis Joyon Francis Joyon Francis Joyon is a professional sail boat racer and yachtsman, and currently holds the record for the fastest single-handed sailing circumnavigation.... |
Eure et Loir | 9 days 23 hours 21 min | |
| Marc Guillemot | Biscuits la Trinitaine | 10 days 1 hours 59 min | |
| Franck Cammas Franck Cammas Franck Cammas is a French yachtsman. He has lived in Brittany since his victory in the Challenge Espoir Crédit Agricole in 1994. After completing a two year maths course for the ‘Grandes écoles’, as well as a piano academy, Franck Cammas finally opted for a career in sailing... |
Groupama | 10 days 2 hours 40 min | |
| Alain Gautier | Foncia | 10 days 8 hours 37 min | |
| Jean-Luc Nelias | Belgacom | 10 days 19 hours 35 min | |
| Yvan Bourgnon | Bayer en France | 16 days 6 hours 21 min | |
| Lalou Roucayrol | Banque Populaire | lost a hull | |
| IMOCA 60 Monohulls | |||
| Ellen MacArthur Ellen MacArthur Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur, DBE is an English sailor, up until 2009, from Whatstandwell near Matlock in Derbyshire, now based in West Cowes, on the Isle of Wight. She is best known as a solo long-distance yachtswoman. On 7 February 2005 she broke the world record for the fastest solo... |
Kingfisher | 14 days 23 hours 1 min | |
| Roland Jourdain | Sill Beurre le Gall | 15 days 13 hours 38 min | |
| Mike Golding Mike Golding Mike Golding is an English yachtsman. He is one of the few yachtsmen to have raced round the world non stop in both directions... |
Team Group 4 | 15 days 14 hours 50 min | |
| Thierry Dubois | Solidaires | 15 days 15 hours 33 min | |
| Giovanni Soldini | Fila | 16 days 4 hours 10 min | |
| Catherine Chabaud | Whirlpool | 16 days 10 hours 19 min | |
| Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux (born 16 July 1965, in Concarneau, is a French sailor, known for competing successfully in several long-distance single-handed races... |
PRB | 16 days 15 hours 51 min | |
| Marc Thiercelin | Active Wear | 17 days 15 hours 44 min | |
| Dominique Wavre | Union Bancaire Privee | 17 days 17 hours 2 min | |
| Joe Seeten | Nord Pas de Calais | 18 days 2 hours 22 min | |
| Xavier Lecoeur | GEB | 19 days 13 hours 3 min | |
| Didier Munduteguy | DDP 60me Sud | 21 days 7 hours 18 min | |
| Patrick Favre | Adrenalines | 31 days 5 hours 19 min | |
| Yves Parlier Yves Parlier Yves Parlier is a French sailor. He is very well known in the offshore sailing world and generally in France, where he was France's top sports personality in 2002.... |
Aquitaine Innovations | dismasted | |
| Thomas Coville | Sodebo Savourons la Vie | dismasted | |
| Eric Dumont | Services Euroka | dismasted | |
| Dirk Gunst | Tomidi | autopilot failure | |
| Richard Tolkien | This Time | sail damage | |
| Bruce Burgess | Hawaiian Express | personal reasons | |
The Transat, 2004
After the 2000 event, the RYC decided to split the race into two separate events. The 2004 professional edition of the race featured a new title — The Transat — and a new finish, at Boston, Massachusetts. 37 boats entered, in four classes: ORMAOrma
The Orma is a tribe found in Eastern Kenya, mostly along the lower Tana River.They are also called Galla, a term used in Ethiopia to refer to Oromo people.The Orma are semi-nomadic shepherds...
50 and 60 feet (18 m) multihulls; and IMOCA 50 and 60 feet (18 m) monohulls. Despite stormy conditions, all four classes of boats broke records; seven of the Open 60 monohulls broke the previous monohull record. Several boats suffered damage, however.
| Skipper | Boat | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORMA 60 Multihulls | |||
| Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux (born 16 July 1965, in Concarneau, is a French sailor, known for competing successfully in several long-distance single-handed races... |
Geant | 8 days 8 hours 29 min | |
| Thomas Coville | Sodebo | 8 days 10 hours 38 min | |
| Franck Cammas Franck Cammas Franck Cammas is a French yachtsman. He has lived in Brittany since his victory in the Challenge Espoir Crédit Agricole in 1994. After completing a two year maths course for the ‘Grandes écoles’, as well as a piano academy, Franck Cammas finally opted for a career in sailing... |
Groupama | 8 days 14 hours 16 min | |
| Alain Gautier | Foncia | 9 days 7 hours 5 min | |
| Karine Fauconnier | Sergio Tacchini | 9 days 12 hours 36 min | |
| Lalou Roucayrol | Banque Populaire | 9 days 14 hours 5 min | |
| Giovanni Soldini | TIM Progetto Italia | 10 days 6 hours 26 min | |
| Philippe Monnet | Sopra | 10 days 9 hours 28 min | |
| Fred Le Peutrec | Gitana XI | 11 days 9 hours 20 min | |
| Steve Ravussin | Banque Covefi | 12 days 4 hours 27 min | |
| Yves Parlier Yves Parlier Yves Parlier is a French sailor. He is very well known in the offshore sailing world and generally in France, where he was France's top sports personality in 2002.... |
Mediatis Region Aquitaine | 13 days 7 hours 11 min | |
| Marc Guillemot | Gitana X' | 'broken centre board | |
| IMOCA 60 Monohulls | |||
| Mike Golding Mike Golding Mike Golding is an English yachtsman. He is one of the few yachtsmen to have raced round the world non stop in both directions... |
Ecover | 12 days 15 hours 18 min | |
| Dominique Wavre | Temenos | 12 days 18 hours 22 min | |
| Mike Sanderson | Pindar Alphagraphics | 12 days 20 hours 54 min | |
| Nick Moloney | Skandia | 13 days 9 hours 13 min | |
| Conrad Humphreys | Hellomoto | 13 days 20 hours 24 min | |
| Marc Thiercelin | Pro-Form | 14 days 1 hours 41 min | |
| Hervé Laurent | UUDS | 14 days 3 hours 58 min | |
| Sebastien Josse | VMI | 14 days 10 hours 2 min (corrected) | |
| Karen Leibovici | Atlantica-Charente Maritime | 17 days 17 hours 12 min | |
| Norbert Sedlacek | Austria One | 17 days 18 hours 35 min | |
| Charles Hedrich | Objectif 3 | 18 days 4 hours 12 min | |
| Anne Liardet | Quicksilver | 19 days 14 hours 27 min | |
| Jean-Pierre Dick | Virbac | dismasted | |
| Vincent Riou Vincent Riou Vincent Riou is a French sailor. He is the skipper of PRB, a 60-foot monohull. He won the 2004 edition of the Vendée Globe.-Recent events:... |
PRB | dismasted | |
| Bernard Stamm | Cheminees Pouj. Armour Lux | capsized | |
| ORMA 50 Multihulls | |||
| Eric Bruneel | Trilogic | 14 days 1 hours 23 min | |
| Rich Wilson | Great American II | 15 days 0 hours 19 min | |
| Dominique Demachy | Gify | 15 days 13 hours 13 min | |
| Etienne Hochede | PiR2 | 19 days 13 hours 45 min | |
| Franck-Yves Escoffier | Crepes Whaou! | broke centreboard | |
| Mike Birch | Nootka | autipilots broke | |
| IMOCA 50 Monohulls | |||
| Kip Stone | Artforms | 15 days 5 hours 20 min | |
| Joe Harris | Wells Fargo | 16 days 14 hours 21 min | |
| Jacques Bouchacourt | Okami | 17 days 23 hours 17 min | |
| Roger Langevin | Branec III | over time limit | |
Faraday Mill OSTAR 2005
The 2005 event was the first held for smaller boats, again under the name OSTAR, sponsored by Faraday Mill.35 boats took part with 16 forced to retire. Franco Mozoli won the race in Cotonella, taking 17 days and 21 hours to finish. The 2005 race featured the first single-handed, trans-atlantic crossing by a profoundly deaf person: Gerry Hughes
Gerry Hughes
Gerry Hughes is the first profoundly deaf man to sail single-handed across the Atlantic Ocean. He crossed the finishing line off Castle Hill, Newport at 1130hrs local time on Saturday 3 July 2005 after 35 days of sailing.-Biography:...
.
| Skipper | Boat | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trimarans | |||
| Franco Manzoli | Cotonella | 17 days 21 hours 41 min | |
| Roger Langevin | Branec IV | 18 days 6 hours 7 min | |
| Pierre Antoine | Spirit | 18 days 8 hours 43 min | |
| Leon Bart | Houd van Hout | 25 days 16 hours 45 min | |
| Aurelia Ditton | Shockwave | 27 days 9 hours 19 min | |
| Anne Caseneuve | Acanthe Ingeniere | Retired - injured knee | |
| Etienne Giroire | Up My Sleeve | Retired | |
| Ross Hobson | Mollymawk | Retired - broken daggerboard | |
| Monohulls | |||
| Steve White | Olympian Challenger | 20 days 5 hours 24 min | |
| Yves Lepine | Atlantix Express | 21 days 4 hours 40 min | |
| Nico Budel | Hayai | 21 days 18 hours 17 min | |
| Philip Rubright | Echo Zulu | 23 days 22 hours 50 min | |
| Lionel Regnier | Trois Mille Sabords | 25 days 23 hours 48 min | |
| Mervyn Wheatley | Tamarind | 26 days 2 hours 48 min | |
| Peter Keig | Zeal | 27 days 11 hours 31 min | |
| Stephen Gratton | Amelie of Dart | 30 days 4 hours 32 min | |
| Richard Hatton | Chimp | 30 days 18 hours 7 min | |
| Huib Swets | Vijaya | 32 days 5 hours 4 min | |
| Gerry Hughes | Quest II | 34 days 4 hours 15 min | |
| Paul Heiney | Ayesha of St Mawes | 35 days 14 hours 19 min | |
| Groot Cees | Reality | 41 days 16 hours 15 min | |
| Tony Waldeck | Adrienne May | Retired - mainsail luff cars failed | |
| Michel Jaheny | Chivas III | Retired | |
| Patrice Carpentier | VM Materiaux | Retired | |
| Bart Boosman | De Franschman | Retired - broken shroud | |
| Hannah White | Spirit of Canada | Retired - auto helm broken | |
| Peter Crowther | Suomi Kudu | Retired - broken forestay | |
| Michel Kleinjans | Roaring Forty | Retired - bulkhead problems | |
| Pieter Ardiaans | Robosail | Retired - boom, vang problems | |
| Ronny Nollet | La Promesse | Retired - previous back injury | |
| Pierre Chatelin | Destination Calais | Retired - problems with boat | |
| Bertus Buys | Sea Beryl | Retired - mainsail damage | |
| Bram Van De Loosdrecht | Octavus | Retired - dismasted | |
| Jacques Dewez | Blue Shadow | Retired - damaged at start | |
The Artemis Transat, 2008
The 2008 Transat race was named after its sponsor, Artemis. On Thursday 15 May, Frenchman Michel DesjoyeauxMichel Desjoyeaux
Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux (born 16 July 1965, in Concarneau, is a French sailor, known for competing successfully in several long-distance single-handed races...
(Foncia) had to retire from the race after a collision with a whale. Sebastien Josse (BT), who was leading, had to retire owing to damage to the mainsail carriage on Saturday 17 May, leaving Vincent Riou (PRB) take the lead on the Sunday morning. Loïck Peyron, on Gitana Eighty, caught up with Vincent Riou, who had to abandon the race due to serious keel damage after a collision with a basking shark on the night of Monday 12 / Tuesday 13 May. The race jury decided to grant two and a half hours of bonus time to Loïck Peyron after he rescued Vincent Riou. Starting on 11 May from Plymouth, Peyron spent 12 days, 11 hours, 15 minutes and 35 seconds (not including the time bonus) to cover the 2,992 miles of the race (averaging 9,938 knots), thus improving previous record of 12 days, 15 hours, 18 minutes and 8 seconds, which was held by Mike Golding
Mike Golding
Mike Golding is an English yachtsman. He is one of the few yachtsmen to have raced round the world non stop in both directions...
(Ecover).
| Position | Skipper | Boat | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMOCA 60 Monohulls | ||||
1  |
Loïck Peyron Loïck Peyron Loïck Peyron, born 1 December 1959 in Nantes, is a French yachtsman, younger brother of the yachtsman Bruno Peyron.He is particularly famous for winning many races in the 1990s on board his trimaran Fujicolor... |
Gitana Eigthy | 12 days 8 hours 45 min | |
2  |
Armel Le Cleac'h | Brit Air | 12 days 12 hours 28 min | |
3  |
Yann Eliès | Generali | 13 days 14 hours 30 min | |
| 4 | Marc Guillemot | Safran | 14 days 21 hours 18 min | |
| 5 | Samantha Davies Samantha Davies Samantha Davies is a British yachtswoman. She has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from St John's College, Cambridge.-Biography:... |
Roxy | 15 days 10 hours 00 min | |
| Ab | Vincent Riou Vincent Riou Vincent Riou is a French sailor. He is the skipper of PRB, a 60-foot monohull. He won the 2004 edition of the Vendée Globe.-Recent events:... |
PRB | keel | |
| Ab | Sébastien Josse | BT | sail damage | |
| Ab | Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux (born 16 July 1965, in Concarneau, is a French sailor, known for competing successfully in several long-distance single-handed races... |
Foncia | skeg | |
| Ab | Unai Basurko | Pakea Bizkaia | ||
| Class 40 Monohulls | ||||
| 1 | - | - | - days - hours - min | |