Solo, non-stop, unassisted transatlantic race created in 1960 and sailed every four years against the prevailing winds between Europe and the US east coast. Also known as OSTAR, STAR and the Transat anglaise.
In the late 1950s Francis Chichester and Blondie Hasler conceived a solo Atlantic crossing, a project many thought foolhardy. In 1960, with the Royal Western Yacht Club and The Observer newspaper, the race was born as the Observer Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race (OSTAR). Five sailors left Plymouth on 11 June 1960; Chichester won aboard Gipsy Moth III in just over 40 days.
The race has since run every four years and changed name with its sponsors: STAR, Carlsberg STAR in 1988, Europe 1 STAR in 1992 and 1996, then Europe 1 New Man STAR in 2000. In 2004 it became The Transat, run by Offshore Challenges rather than the RWYC. In 2008 it opened to IMOCA and Class40 monohulls, became The Transat Bakerly in 2016 and The Transat CIC from 2019.
French sailors dominate: Tabarly (1964, 1976), Colas (1972), Fauconnier (1984), Poupon (1988), Loïck Peyron (1992, 1996, 2008), Joyon (2000), Desjoyeaux (2004) and Gabart (2016). The 2012 edition was cancelled for lack of entrants, and 2020 (planned from Brest) because of Covid-19. In 2024 the race started from Lorient for New York; Yoann Richomme won the IMOCA division in 8 days 6 h 53 and Ambrogio Beccaria the Class40.
3 sources · updated 24 Oct 2026
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Source: Résultats The Transat 2008 (class40.com) (opens in a new tab)