The Race

OSTAR - ORIGINAL SINGLE-HANDED TRANSATLANTIC RACE
RACE :           Single Handed Transatlantic
START :         May 2009
COURSE :       Plymouth UK - Newport, USA
DISTANCE :     3,250 Nm

The OSTAR’s history is the main reason this race remains so popular nearly 50 years on. First dreamt up by Sir Francis Chichester, he and Blondie Haslar bet half a crown on who could make it to the coast of Amercia first, single-handed and un-aided.

Since then many of the worlds finest sailors have taken part in this historic race, and to this day the race still attracts a huge variety and sailors and nationalities. This truly Corinthian race not only attracts young hopefuls, hoping to use this race as a springboard into more other classes but also attracts the adventurers for whom this race is a lifetimes worth of dreams and ambitions.

The race is one of the toughest courses found in Ocean racing. The 2800nm course leaves from Plymouth and takes the competitor across the Atlantic to Newport Rhode Island. Sailing against the prevailing winds and currents, Hannah expects the race to take anything form 18 to 24 days. Along the way she will not only have to battle with the weather that the North Atlantic throws at her, but also the shipping, and increasingly high risk of ice bergs near Newfoundland.

For Hannah, the build up to the race in 2005 was a truly wonderful and life-changing experience. The characters and friends she made have stayed with her, and she hopes that 2009 will be just the same. With 45 entrants and only 2 females in the race, Hannah will be one of the youngest competitors’ but unlike last time, not THE youngest. Hopefully the 4 years of experience gained since the last race will stand her in good stead in this latest edition of the Original Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race.