A new direction for The Transat with Brest confirmed as 2020 start city

Unfortunately for UK enthusiasts, the first and oldest single-handed transatlantic race, The Transat, will carve out a new path in 2020, with the announcement that the city of Brest in northern Brittany will host the start of the four-yearly classic.

Starting in May, the 2020 edition will also see the race celebrate its 60th anniversary as the world’s best solo sailors gather to race a gruelling 3,500-nautical miles across the North Atlantic to the USA.

Owned and organised by OC Sport Pen Duick, the French subsidiary of international event organiser OC Sport, The Transat is regarded as one of the toughest professional solo ocean races. It is a challenge that is dominated by the progression of low pressure systems that produce the headwinds that define this classic race.

Historically starting from Plymouth in the UK, the change has been brought about as the organisers look for innovative ways to secure the future of The Transat, as OC Sport CEO Hervé Favre explains: “We are really pleased to be partnering with Brest for The Transat, and together we share a strong desire to continue developing the race in 2020 and beyond.

“We have seen from races such as the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe just how engaged the French public are with offshore sailing where we had over 2-million visitors to the race village. Staging the start from Brest is a real opportunity for our sponsors and the teams to capitalise on this captive audience and we expect it to open up many new commercial opportunities which are essential to guarantee the longevity of the race. I’d like to thank Plymouth for their support of the race up until this point.”

A port city with a strong maritime background, Brest will welcome The Transat to what is one of the country’s most vibrant harbours. Its infrastructure, port capacity and geographical location as the last port in Brittany before North America, made it an obvious choice for the organisers, who will be taking the event into the undisputed heart of offshore sailing.

OC Sport Pen Duick also owns and organises the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe, which together with The Transat, offers professional single-handed sailors an alternating and complimentary pair of classic races every two years.

The host city for the finish of The Transat will be announced in the coming weeks.

www.thetransat.com