The Transat returned with a star-studded line of up ocean racers and adventurers all looking to join the annuls of history.
The Transat bakerly is the oldest and first solo Transatlantic race, first launched in 1960 following the 3,000 mile Plymouth to New York route. One of the most important and historic events in the professional offshore racing calendar, The Transat bakerly celebrated its 14th edition by returning to its origins.
The event started in 1960 and has provided a platform for many of the great names in the sport, including Dame Ellen MacArthur, and founders Sir Francis Chichester and Blondie Hasler – whose vision for the race is still as relevant today as it was then, “one man, one boat, one ocean.”
In addition to hosting in our waterfront Marine Station, students from UPSU sailing and powerboat club provided safety and marshalling support for Transat 2016 in Plymouth from competitors arrival to race start, and everything in between.
The Transat 2016
The 14th edition set sail on 2 May, when the fleet left Plymouth breakwater to race 3,000 miles to Brooklyn in New York, where The Transat first finished 56 years ago. Between the two cities, competitors faced the ferocity of the Atlantic, with the ever-present danger of ice drifting down from the Arctic. They spent anywhere between eight and 18 days at sea, dependent on the boat, racing upwind for the majority of the race.
