A snapshot of 2020
It is not a great time to be Plymouth. Two years ago the port lost out on hosting the start of the Golden Globe Race, which instead went to Les Sables d’Olonne. Then the new TRANSAT organisers moved their start from Plymouth to Brest. And as I write, RORC has just announced that the Rolex Fastnet Race will finish not in Plymouth, as it has since the days of EG Martin and Jolie Brise, but in Cherbourg. The Cotentin harbour apparently comes with the hefty financial backing of the French authorities, something no port in the UK could even consider in 2020. Cherbourg also offers far greater berthing space in the centre of the town and will create more of a festival ashore. It’s a major change that will benefit…