Artemis Transat race fleet ready for off

by Event media on 6 May 2008
The Artemis Transat race fleet of 13 IMOCA Open 60 boats and 11 Class40 boats have arrived at Sutton Harbour, Plymouth and so have the crowds – an estimated 25,000 of them over the opening weekend. ECOVER 3 skipper, Mike Golding, will officially start the 13th edition of the race from onboard the Royal Navy’s HMS Argyll on Sunday 11 May at 14:00 BST.

The 13 IMOCA 60s and 11 Class40 boats competing in The Artemis Transat 2008 are now all berthed at Sutton Harbour, Plymouth having arrived over the weekend. The Race Village came alive with the arrival of the fleet and thousands of visitors over the Bank Holiday weekend have already been through the village taking in the spectacle of these high-tech ocean racers and all the exhibits within the village, as well as enjoying the bars and restaurants in the Barbican.

The Race Village at Sutton Harbour was officially opened at 10:00 on Saturday by Councillor Glenn Jordan,Crowds at Race Village, Sutton Harbour alongside Nigel Godefroy, Chief Executive, Sutton Harbour Group who shared the duty of cutting the ribbon to declare the race village open.

Since then the public have arrived en masse to view the 24-strong race fleet, the Tall Ship ‘Earl of Pembroke’, the legendary Gipsy Moth IV and the Ocean Racing Exhibition that forms part of the education programme. The entertainments package is extensive with street entertainers plus the inaugural Barbican International Jazz and Blues Festival.

Created in 1960 by Sir Francis Chichester and Blondie Hasler, and often known until 2004 as the OSTAR, the oldest solo race in history has created the greatest sailing legends over the last four decades – Tabarly, Colas, Birch, Poupon, Peyron, Joyon, Desjoyeaux, and MacArthur to name but a few. For 2008, The Artemis Transat brings together the IMOCA Open 60 and the Class40 monohulls in Plymouth