Ostar 09 - The oldest solo boat race.

I never saw so much 'Solo Panic' as on the yacht berth at Plymouth, while ALL the sailors tried to be ready in time for the start of the OSTAR 09!

Everyone had Mini-Disasters (like loosing bicycle chains(!), or faithful GPS's deciding choosing that particular moment to die...)

The Chandlery of the Royal Western, was full of wild-eyed skippers as nervous and tense as race-hoses! Clutching dead batteries, and miles of the wrong length of rope!



I managed to get on the r.i.b of the official race photographer, and after the final gun, we had to pick him up from the start vessel where Prince Philip was (the husband of the queen, by the way!)




Then we had to chase, at break-neck speed, the pink trimaran of the french girl (who is SO tiny and skinny she looks like a little bit of rope herself!), before she reached the lighthouse.

The Eddystone lighthouse is truly awesome. on the top of a mountain under the sea, so far from land.. sadly the famous red and white striped one, has been taken to the Plymouth town for retirement.

The race seemed to be made up of 4 Girls and 4 Dutchmen as far as I was concerned!

So good luck to them all!