Two thirds of the yachts entered for the Faraday Mill OSTAR 2005 have alrerady arrived in Queen Anne’s Battery Marina, Plymouth.

Philip Rubright has sailed in from the States, Franco Manzoli from Italy, a large contingent from Holland and several from Belgium and France.

The British are also well represented with a total of 13 out of the expected starting line up of 35 yachts.

Just getting to the start line for these mainly Corinthian sailors is almost half the battle of completing this classic yacht race, single handed accross the North Atlantic.

Several entered yachts have already withdrawn for a variety of reasons including financial, damage on the way to the start or unforseen health problems with competitor’s themselves or close relatives.

One of the race favorites Ross Hobson from Newcastle is battling to get his trimaran Mollymawk back on the water after sustaining serious damage after hitting an unidentified floating object off Plymouth on his delivery trip.

Others such as 25 year old art student Lia Ditton – sailing the 34ft trimaran “Shockwave” are networking the local business and yachting community to beg or borrow vital bits of last minute equipment, not to mention enough food to last the trip to Newport Rhode Island.

Val Howells the only surviving skipper of the first OSTAR will fire the starting gun from the Trinity Light Vessel “Patricia” in Plymouth Sound at 12 Noon on Sunday the 29th May. Also out on the water will be Gipsy Moth 111 in which Sir Francis Chichester won the original race in 1960.