Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

With the countdown well under way to the 2008 Artemis Transat yacht race, Plymouth is preparing to stage a harbourside festival to entertain the crowds.

A tented village, which will cover most of The Barbican area will be at the heart of the festival, featuring a major interactive ocean racing exhibition, a Royal Navy display and a sailing simulator.

Race organisers are hoping to attract 100,000 people in the week leading up to the start of the race on 11 May.

The yacht Gitana 80. Photo: Yvan Zedda

The entire race fleet will be berthed inside Sutton Harbour, allowing people to get a close-up view and meet the skippers.

Spectators will get the chance to watch the racing yachts arrive in Plymouth over the Bank Holiday weekend (3-4 May).

In addition, visitors will be able to go on board the tall ship TS Earl of Pembroke, which will be moored alongside Gypsy Moth IV - the yacht in which Sir Francis Chichester made his famous circumnavigation from Plymouth.

The inaugural Barbican International Jazz and Blues Festival will run in tandem with the yachting event with performances at around 20 city venues.

The race village will be based in an area from Customs House to the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club and will feature huge marquees, a public stage, street performers and fireworks.

The festival venue on Plymouth's Barbican

"It'll really feel like something very special has come to town," said Julian Hocken, the Artemis Transat's project manager.

"We want to build an exhibit which explains to the public the experience of racing.

"Life on an ocean racing boat is incredibly dangerous and noisy. By visiting the village and looking at the various educational exhibits, visitors will get a good feel of life at sea."

Inspiring young people

An education programme which aims to inspire young people about the history of sailing and the maritime heritage of the city is a key part of the build-up to the race.

The Ocean Racing Exhibition is designed to give an insight into life on an ocean racing yacht including the technology of the boat and the challenges facing the skipper.

The exhibition is supported by the University of Plymouth, and fits into a schools programme organised by the National Marine Aquarium.

Students will also be encouraged to bring the race to life by adopting a boat. They'll be able to follow their chosen skipper across the North Atlantic using meteorological charts and satellite tracking systems.

The Transat village at Sutton Harbour opens at 10am on Saturday 3 May. It will be open from 10am until 6pm each day until the race start on 11 May.

The 2,800-mile single-handed race across the North Atlantic is held every four years.

It starts from Plymouth on Sunday 11 May, 2008 and finishes in Boston, USA.

Map of the Race Village

You can watch a live video stream of the start here on the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Devon website.Μύ