Plymouth faces competition from several other ports, for the right to host the prestigious Transat yacht race in 2008. Plymouth has hosted the event since the inaugural race in 1960, which was won by Sir Francis Chichester. He took 40 days to reach New York on board Gipsy Moth III. The race is held every four years and is the oldest of all solo offshore races. The race has traditionally started in Plymouth, with the finish line in North America. The 2004 race finished in Boston, and the quickest yachts completed the 2,800 miles inside 10 days. However, the event has been taken over by OC Events, which is owned by Ellen MacArthur and Mark Turner.  | | The start of the 2004 race in Plymouth |
OC Events has invited cities across the UK to bid to host the start of future races. Plymouth's bid is spear-headed by local yachtsman Conrad Humphreys, who finished 5th in his class in the 2004 race. Also backing Plymouth's bid are the Sutton Harbour Group, the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) and the Royal Navy. Plymouth faces competition from Liverpool (the 2008 City of Culture), Portsmouth, Southampton and Cowes. The city which wins is expected to benefit to the tune of £1.5 million - the estimated spin-off for the local economy. Central to Plymouth's bid is bringing the race into the heart of the city by building a race village that will provide entertainment for the public over a 10-day period.  | | The race yachts will be based in Sutton Harbour |
The Barbican will be the centre for the race village, with the boats moored in Sutton Harbour. Conrad Humphreys said: "Great events invariably happen in great cities and Plymouth needs to grab the opportunity that a global event of this stature brings. "There is enormous potential to the city through increased international awareness and the associated increase in tourism and regeneration. "The Transat is an incredible competition and I hope we can secure this event for the City in 2008 and build its growing reputation ahead of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Weymouth." Richard Thomas of the SWRDA added: "Plymouth's reputation as a seafaring city of international repute will be further enhanced as host city for Transat 2008 – the Blue Riband event for transatlantic racers. "The next race promises to be even bigger and will be invaluable to Plymouth's continuing economic growth and provide it with an even higher international profile." The results of the bid will be announced by OC Events on the 31st March 2007. | 
