Andrew Bray, Editor of Yachting World magazine, competed in the 1976 OSTAR and recalls a race which was hit by storms and a record number of lost boats, retirements and fatalities.

"The singlehanded transatlantic race, or OSTAR as it was and Transat as it now is, has always held a special sort of magic. In the days before anyone was racing round the world crewed, let alone singlehanded, it represented the ultimate challenge in sailing – one man, one boat and the unruly North Atlantic. Of course the race has now changed and with the fleet now being 100 per cent professional its status has changed hugely, although there are those who would argue that this is for the worse.

"The unique character of the race was in the fact that amateurs raced alongside the professionals, home built tiny monohulls rubbing shoulders with the latest purpose-built solo monohulls and multihulls. I recall clearly with awe the occasion in 1976 when I was in the Royal Western Yacht Club a few days before the start and found myself in the company of Blondie Hasler, Robin Knox-Johnston and Eric Tabarly. The ghost of Francis Chichester must have been hovering nearby. It was that sort of race, when the dusty scrapheaps in Millbay Docks echoed to the sounds of sawing and hammering as competitors struggled to finish preparing for the big day.

"I sailed in the 1976 race which will be remembered for its controversy over the size of the fleet (125) and of the boats – Club Med was 235ft and crewed by Alain Colas, winner of the previous event but who had nearly lost his foot in a sailing accident only a few months earlier. And it was remembered as the stormiest OSTAR on record, with a number of boats lost, two crew disappeared, the only fatalities ever and a record number of retirements. That I was amongst these, retiring after 20 days with broken self steering and a damaged rig, did not for a second diminish the huge thrill I had by being part of this great event."