Prestigious race returns for the first time in eight years to international sailing calendar and returns to New York for the first time since its 1960 inception
The Transat, the first and oldest single-handed trans-ocean race in history, is heading to New York City and will culminate at the new ONE°15 Brooklyn Marina, race organisers and rights holders OC Sport, announced today.
The marina will be an Official Host Venue Partner to the race alongside Plymouth, UK and is located in the heart of Brooklyn Bridge Park opposite Manhattan. It’s the newest marina to be built in New York City and is currently under construction with a grand opening set for Spring 2016 to be marked by this iconic and exciting race.
“We are thrilled to kick off our grand opening season by hosting the finish of this iconic and historic sailing race,” said Arthur Tay, Chairman of SUTL Group, the majority owner of the Brooklyn marina and the visionary behind the ONE°15 Marina brand.
“Our goal in designing this marina was to offer an unparalleled level of access to the water for the local Brooklyn community, New Yorkers, and boating enthusiasts from around the globe. The prestigious Transat race will certainly bring a wide audience to the waterfront in Brooklyn and solidify its place as a sought-after international sailing destination.”ONEº15 Brooklyn Bridge Marina
It seems only natural that the city that never sleeps should host this race. As many involved in sailing will know, there is no predicting what time the boats will arrive, so at least we can count on New York to be awake should the skippers dock in at 4am.
“We are extremely happy to announce ONE°15 Brooklyn Marina as our Host Venue Partner for The Transat’s exciting finish,” said Hervé Favre, The Transat’s Event Director.
“The marina will have many promising features but a key one for us, as organisers, is that the entire fleet will be able to stay together in one place, which I believe is unprecedented in New York for a multi classes event including giant multihulls. This is a game-changer for New York Harbour, and I believe The Transat will be the first of many races to come to this state-of-the art marina,” added Favre.
The Transat charts a course from Plymouth in the United Kingdom to New York, a dangerous route that tests the best single-handed sailors in the world to their limits. Returning for the first time in eight years, the race is set to cement its status as one of the most important and prestigious events on the international sailing calendar.
The Transat is scheduled to depart from Plymouth on the 2nd May 2016 with ONEº15 Brooklyn Marina expecting the first boat around the 9th May. There are four classes of boats in the race, the fastest of which are some of the most spectacular multihulls in world sailing.
The race has not visited New York since its first year in 1960 and makes it first triumphant return to the city at this new state-of-the-art marina. ONE°15 Brooklyn Marina is ideally located between Piers 4 and 5 in the lush and beautiful Brooklyn Bridge Park, an 85‐acre sustainable waterfront park stretching 1.3 miles along Brooklyn’s East River shoreline. The creation of the marina furthers the Park’s mission of making the waterfront more accessible to the public.
The Transat promises astonishing sporting performances and fascinating stories of human drama as the skippers take on the North Atlantic on one of the most treacherous routes known to sailing.
The Notice of Race is now available and entries are open for teams interested in competing. Please visit www.thetransat.com for more information.
About The Transat
The OSTAR (Observer Singlehanded Trans-Atlantic Race) was created in 1960 by a handful of pioneering sailors. The race was organised every four years by the Royal Western Yacht Club (RWYC) from 1960 through to the 2000 event, albeit with a lot of involvement from the French event organiser Pen Duick in the 90s, in order to cater for the demands of the professional campaigns that dominated the event. After the 2000 edition, OC Sport stepped in to develop the event and acquired the rights to the professional part. OC Sport organised The Transat in 2004 and 2008, the 2012 edition was deferred at the request of IMOCA (the largest competing class).
The RWYC continues to organise a solo transatlantic race for Corinthian and non-professional sailors that is still known as the (O)STAR,. This race usually falls a year after the professional big boat race i.e. 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017. Both the amateur Yacht Club event and The Transat have the right to link to the history of the original race created in 1960, and to the rich history it has produced.
The first race was competed by just a handful of pioneering sailors including Francis Chichester and Blondie Hasler who coined the phrase: “One man, one boat, the ocean.” There has been tragedy, dramatic rescues and exceptional drama since the race began in 1960. Over time The Transat, as it is known today, has evolved and now serves the professional end of offshore sailing. But there are few modern day races that can reflect on such a long and outstanding history.
Monohull IMOCA 60 record: 12 days, 11 hours and 45 minutes set by Loick Peyron (FRA) on board Gitana in 2008. Multihull 60ft record: 8 days, 8 hours, 29 minutes set by Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) on board Géant in 2004.
OC Sport is a global sports marketing and events company specialising in professional sailing and outdoor events ranging from running, cycling and winter sports. OC Sport organise the award-winning and original stadium racing event, the Extreme Sailing Series; created and manage the Artemis Offshore Academy – the only UK-based training school for solo sailors; and managed the Dongfeng Race Team in the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15. www.ocsport.com
About ONE°15 Brooklyn Marina
ONE°15 Brooklyn Marina, Brooklyn’s gateway to New York Harbor, is a new marina that will offer unparalleled water access to the local Brooklyn community, New Yorkers, and boating enthusiasts from around the globe. Located just south of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Marina will feature an exceptional community program that will make boating and kayaking available to residents of all ages, abilities, and incomes as well as seasonal docking facilities of the highest quality, a Sailing Club & School and a Harbor Club. An integral hub of community activity, primely located along Brooklyn’s resurgent waterfront, this new facility will be a part of the vibrant Brooklyn Bridge Park and offer the calmest marina basin in New York Harbor. A joint venture between majority owner SUTL Group and Edgewater Resources, the marina brings together the US design team responsible for the world’s “greenest marina” and the marina management skills of SUTL which earned ONE°15 Marina Singapore the title of Best Marina and Yacht Club in Asia (2009, 2012-2014). For more information: www.ONE15BrooklynMarina.com