1979 Fastnet Race

50°33′00″N 6°58′16″W / 50.550°N 6.971°W / 50.550; -6.971

The 1979 Fastnet Race was the 28th Royal Ocean Racing Club's Fastnet Race, a yachting race held generally every two years since 1925 on a 605-nautical-mile (1,120 km; 696 mi) course from Cowes direct to the Fastnet Rock and then to Plymouth passing south of the Isles of Scilly. In 1979, it was the climax of the five-race Admiral's Cup competition, as it had been since 1957. Immediately, and ever since, the 1979 race has been known worldwide as the deadliest in yachting history.

A worse-than-expected European windstorm on the third day of the race wreaked havoc on the 303 yachts that started the biennial race, resulting in 21 fatalities (15 yachtsmen and 6 spectators) during the early morning hours of 14 August in the Celtic Sea. Emergency services, naval forces, and civilian vessels from around the west side of the English Channel were summoned to aid what became the largest ever rescue operation in peace-time. This involved some 4,000 people, including the entire Irish Naval Service's fleet, lifeboats, commercial boats, and helicopters.

Meteorological history

The 1979 race started on 11 August. The BBC Radio Shipping Forecast, broadcast at 13:55 that day, predicted "south-westerly winds, force four to five increasing to force six to seven for a time." By 13 August, winds were reported at Force 6 with gusts of Force 7, and forecasters were predicting winds of Force 8. The leading boat, Kialoa, trailed closely by Condor of Bermuda, was on course to break the Fastnet record set eight years earlier.

A large depression named "low Y" formed over the Atlantic Ocean during the weekend of 11–12 August. On 13 August it began to intensify rapidly and turn northeastwards, reaching about 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) southwest of Ireland. By the 14th, the low was centred over Wexford. Land-based weather stations reported gale-force winds, with the strongest winds out to sea over the race area. The UK Meteorological Office assessed the maximum winds as Force 10 on the Beaufort scale; the majority of race competitors estimated the winds to have reached or exceeded Force 11. The official inquiry reported wind speeds reaching 60 knots (110 km/h; 70 mph) with little or no advance warning, and wave heights reaching 50 feet (15 m) in conflicting directions, conditions that were especially destructive for the smaller sailboats. The lowest recorded pressure was 979 hPa.

Disaster and rescue mission

Over 13–14 August, of the 303 yachts that started, 24 were abandoned, of which five were lost and believed to be sunk, due to high winds and severe sea conditions. The Daily Telegraph (15 August 1979, p. 1) described the situation, where "Royal Navy ships, RAF Nimrod jets, helicopters, lifeboats, a Dutch warship HNLMS Overijssel and other craft picked up 125 yachtsmen whose boats had been caught in Force 11 violent storm strength gusts midway between Land's End and Fastnet". The effort also included tugs, trawlers, and tankers.

The coastguard requested support, resulting in a Nimrod aircraft from RAF Kinloss being ordered to the scene to act as the Scene of Search Coordinator. As the scale of the disaster became apparent, other rescue assets were requested and HMS Broadsword was ordered to the scene, taking over as the Scene of Search Coordinator on arrival at 17:30 on 14 August.

Fifteen competitors died in the race; at least 75 boats capsized and five sank. Adopting heaving to as a storm tactic proved to be a good preventive of capsize and turtling during the race. Lin Pardey wrote that none of the yachts which hove to were capsized or suffered any serious damage, but the official inquiry makes no such conclusion. One Fastnet participant, John Rousmaniere, wrote:

If there is a fault in this debate, it is that the factions sometimes say that one tactic or piece of gear is always right, regardless of the boat and the conditions. There is nothing always about a storm at sea except its danger.

The disaster resulted in a major rethink of racing, risks and prevention. Many safety improvements followed.

Finishing yachts

The handicap winner was the yacht Tenacious, designed by Sparkman & Stephens and owned and skippered by Ted Turner. The winner of line honours was the 77-foot (23.5 m) SV Condor of Bermuda, skippered by Peter Blake, which gained around 90 minutes on the leader, the SV Kialoa, after rounding the Fastnet rock, by the calculated risk of setting a spinnaker sail in the high wind conditions. Jim Kilroy of the Kialoa had broken his ribs and there was damage to the yacht's runners. SV Condor of Bermuda broke the Fastnet record by nearly eight hours (71h 37m 23s).

Yachts that did not finish

Of the 303 starters, only 86 finished. There were 194 retirements and 24 abandonments (five of which were "lost believed sunk").

Early press reports were often confused. The Daily Telegraph (16 August 1979, p. 3) reported that 69 yachts did not finish.

Craft that assisted the rescue mission

Over 4,000 people aided in the rescue efforts. The Royal Navy coordinated efforts to find around 80 vessels and rescue 136 crew members. Many organizations made key contributions:

Fatalities and memorials

Between drowning and exposure, the storm killed 15 yachtsmen who were competing in the race, the deadliest in yachting history:

In addition, the storm killed 6 observers who were aboard two yachts shadowing the fleet to view the race:

• Olivia Davidson, John Dix, Richard Pendred, Peter Pickering (aboard Bucks Fizz)
• Denis Benson, David Moore (aboard Tempean)

The Fastnet Race Memorial at Holy Trinity Church, Cowes, Isle of Wight, was created in 2009 and lists 19 fatalities: the 15 competitors and the observers from Bucks Fizz. A similar memorial at Cape Clear Island harbour was first created in 2003, then updated in 2015 to list all 21 fatalities, including the observers from Tempean whose names were not widely publicized until then.

See also

• 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

References

Further reading

• Mayers, Adam (2007). Beyond Endurance: 300 Boats, 600 Miles, and One Deadly Storm. McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 978-0771057557.
• Butler, Gerald (2012). The Lightkeeper: A Memoir. The Liffey Press. ISBN 978-190830825-2

External links

• Official website of the Fastnet Race
• "Fastnet 79 Archives". Yachting World, 2009
• "1979: Freak storm hits yacht race". BBC On This Day, 2008
• "The Fastnet Yacht Race Tragedy of 1979" (video). Nat Sharman, BBC, 2006 – via YouTube (Nautic TV channel)
• "Fastnet Race 1979 Yacht Grimalkin" (video). Richard Slee, LookoutMedia, 2008 – via YouTube (official channel)
• "The 1979 Fastnet Race Storm" (video). Gary Jobson, US Sailing, 2011 – via YouTube (official channel)