Two Handed Transatlantic Race relaunched

by James Bremridge on 17 Feb 2012 Two Handed Transatlantic Race, from Plymouth, England to Newport, Rhode Island, is being held on Sunday 3rd June 2012.

With the initial deadline for entries past, the Two Handed Transatlantic Race (TWOSTAR) has an experienced range of competitors in a wide selection of different yachts of which any may take the line honours prize and the overall handicap prize.

Relaunched for this year by the Royal Western Yacht Club of England (RWYC), the TWOSTAR follows the original shorthanded and probably the toughest course across the Atlantic against the prevailing winds and currents. The first edition of this race was in 1981 and ran until 1994 and has been won by some well-known yachtsmen including Chay Blyth, Rob James, Laurent Bourgnon and Cam Lewis.

Anne Caseneuve in her Multi 50, on paper is currently the fastest boat and Anne knows what to expect as she has entered the Original Single Handed Transatlantic Race twice. However it is a long time since a multihull successfully completed the course under race conditions. Andrea Mura in his Open 50, Vento de Sardegna having had a class win in the Route de Rhum is probably the fastest monhull. But no one should discount the Open 40 (Roaring Again) of Hans Plas who has teamed up with Thibault Reinhart. In the 2010 Round Britain and Ireland Race (RB&I), Hans Plas having overtaken all the Multihulls was in the leading pack of five boats that were in sight of each other as they completed the last two miles to the finish after 2000 miles of hard racing. Thibault Reinhart is no stranger to Plymouth, having in recent years dominated the UK Fastnet 650 for Classe Mini yachts. The latest entry is Roaring Forty II (Class 40), skipper by Michel Kleinjans (Belgium) and Mick Liddy (Ireland). This pair teamed up for the 2006 RB&I and Michel has already completed the course three times in the Original Single Handed Transatlantic Race (OSTAR). As the North Atlantic rarely shows any mercy and the races are often as much about attrition as skill, the line honours prize could go to any of them.

The overall handicap prize in the last OSTAR was won by nearly the smallest boat in the fleet so and there are some strong contenders in the TWOSTAR. Pete McIntyre and Emma Nutt in their Sigma 36 Ruffian have demonstrated in the RB&I 2010 that they are a force to be reckoned with. Swan yachts are represented by Nigel Philpott and Desmond Crampton in Quid Non (Swan 40), and David Perkins in Suomi Kudu (Swan 38). In Jangada Too (J105) will be Richard Palmer and Trevor Drew. The oldest pairing in age has to be Keith Gibbs and Janet Sainsbury in Change of Course. Both have competed in many RWYC Ocean races and though they will probably be heard arguing in Plymouth beforehand, out on the water their combined experience will keep them moving West in all conditions.

With the Race Committee taking the decision not to charge late entry fees, the Royal Western Yacht Club together with the Newport Yacht Club has been brave enough to re-launch a race without a sponsor in difficult economic times, that is not dominated by a single class, where almost any competitor could walk away with one of the principle TWOSTAR website