It’s good to see that some things stay the same. Chief among these is the OSTAR, the legendary event that basically invented the modern sport of singlehanded ocean racing.
While many other races have long-since gone commercial, the OSTAR, first conceived by sailing legend Herbert “Blondie” Hasler in the late 1950s, has remained true to its Corinthian roots, with 18 sailors from all walks of life taking part this past June. Among them was U.S. sailor Jonathan Green aboard the Beneteau Oceanis 351 Jeroboam, who entered the race in partnership with the Storm Trysail Foundation (stormtrysailfoundation.org) and Sail for Kids.
Organized by Britain’s Royal Western Yacht Club, the race is held roughly every four years and has been through multiple iterations since it first took place in 1960. It has served as a springboard for any number of now-famous sailors, including France’s Eric Tabarly and Britain’s Sir Francis Chichester, who won the inaugural race in 40 days 12 hours aboard the 40-foot Gypsy Moth III.
The line-honors winner of the this year’s race was Italian skipper Andrea Mura, who completed the 3,000-mile course from Plymouth, England, to Newport, Rhode Island, in 17 days 11 hours, 22 minutes aboard the Open 60 Vento Di Sardegna. Jon Green, the only U.S. entrant, finished in 23 days, 8 hours, to comfortably win both his class and IRC Overall. For complete results, visit ostar.rwyc.org
Photo courtesy of Billy Black/OSTAR
