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.
Conrad Humphreys raced in the 2004 edition, finishing 5th overall in “Hellomoto” and lead the host city’s bid to secure the race for 2008. His vision transformed the race by establishing the event village in the heart of the Barbican and developing the cultural and educational programmes associated with the main event. Working closely with the South West Regional Development Agency, Plymouth City Council, Sutton Harbour and Offshore Challenges, the Artemis Transat attracted over 120,000 people and delivered over £2.4m economic value to the region.
Sport Environment managed the successful bid, secured the host city partners and project managed the race start week with event organiser Offshore Challenges.