New Start, New Finish for The Transat

The 2020 edition of The Transat, the world’s oldest solo ocean sailing race, will finish for the first time in Charleston, South Carolina.

In another first, the 60th-anniversary edition of 3500 nm race will commence from Brest in the Brittany region of France. The four-yearly classic, which will start in mid-May, had historically began from Plymouth in the UK.

The arrival of the fleet in Charleston will coincide with the city’s 350th anniversary, commemorating the establishment of the first South Carolina settlement, Charles Towne colony in 1670. The Transat will play a key role in Charleston’s commemorative events, highlighting its rich and diverse maritime heritage.

The Transat began life when a handful of pioneering British sailors made a bet to see if they could sail across the Atlantic to America single-handed and who could do it the fastest. The race coined the phrase, ‘One Man, One Boat, One Ocean’.

When Sir Francis Chichester won the first edition of the race in 1960, it took him 40 days to cross the Atlantic. Today, for the world’s top solo sailors in the world’s fastest boats, it can take as little as eight days.

The Transat is a challenge dominated by the progression of low-pressure systems sweeping across the North Atlantic which produce the headwinds that define this classic race. Created in the UK, developed in France and always with a stronghold in America, around 40 skippers are expected on the start line of next year’s race. The Notice of Race will be available in the coming weeks.

Race details: https://www.thetransat.com/

Source: The Transat