The
1979 Fastnet race was the twenty-eighth
Fastnet raceThe Fastnet Race is a famous offshore yachting race. It is considered one of the classic offshore races. It takes place every two years over a course of 608 nautical miles. The race starts off Cowes on the Isle of Wight in England, rounds the Fastnet Rock off the southwest coast of Ireland and then...
, a
yachtingYachting refers to recreational sailing or boating, the specific act of sailing or using other vessels for sporting.-Competitive Sailing:...
race competition held since 1925, generally every two years. In 1979, it was the climax of the five-race
Admiral's CupThe Admiral's Cup is an international yachting regatta. For many years it was known as the unofficial world championship of offshore racing. The Admiral's Cup regatta was started in 1957 and was normally a biennial event which was competed for between national teams. However the event was not...
competition, as it had been since 1957.
StormA storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather...
s during the race wreaked havoc on over 306 yachts taking part in the biennial race, resulting in 15 fatalities. Emergency services and civilian vessels from around the west side of the
English ChannelThe English Channel is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest, to only in the Strait of Dover...
were summoned to aid what was the largest rescue operation in peace-time.
The
1979 Fastnet race was the twenty-eighth
Fastnet raceThe Fastnet Race is a famous offshore yachting race. It is considered one of the classic offshore races. It takes place every two years over a course of 608 nautical miles. The race starts off Cowes on the Isle of Wight in England, rounds the Fastnet Rock off the southwest coast of Ireland and then...
, a
yachtingYachting refers to recreational sailing or boating, the specific act of sailing or using other vessels for sporting.-Competitive Sailing:...
race competition held since 1925, generally every two years. In 1979, it was the climax of the five-race
Admiral's CupThe Admiral's Cup is an international yachting regatta. For many years it was known as the unofficial world championship of offshore racing. The Admiral's Cup regatta was started in 1957 and was normally a biennial event which was competed for between national teams. However the event was not...
competition, as it had been since 1957.
StormA storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather...
s during the race wreaked havoc on over 306 yachts taking part in the biennial race, resulting in 15 fatalities. Emergency services and civilian vessels from around the west side of the
English ChannelThe English Channel is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest, to only in the Strait of Dover...
were summoned to aid what was the largest rescue operation in peace-time. Those involved included naval ships, lifeboats, commercial boats, and helicopters.
Build-up
The 605-mile race started on 11 August 1979. By 13 August, winds were reported at
Force 6The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure for describing wind speed based mainly on observed sea conditions. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale.-History:...
, with gusts of Force 7. Forecasters were predicting winds of Force 8. The leading boat,
Kialoa, trailed closely by
Condor of Bermudathumb|Condor's Carbon Fibre Mast, 1977Condor of Bermuda was a maxi yacht campaining under the leadership and funding of London based businessman Bob Bell - Originally called "Condor" but re-named "Heath's Condor" for the 1977/1978 Whitbread Round the World Race after Bell's association with...
was on course to break the Fastnet record set eight years earlier. However, the headlines the following day were not about success.
The disaster and rescue mission
Over 13–14 August, 25 of the 306 yachts taking part were sunk or disabled due to high winds and "mountainous seas". The Daily Telegraph (15 August, 1979, p. 1) described the situation, where "
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
ships,
RAF Nimrod jetsThe Hawker Siddeley Nimrod is a maritime patrol aircraft developed in the United Kingdom. It is an extensive modification of the de Havilland Comet, the world's first jet airliner. It was originally designed by de Havilland's successor, Hawker Siddeley, now part of BAE Systems...
, helicopters,
lifeboatThe meaning of lifeboat or motor lifeboat, for the purposes of this article, is that of 'a shore-based boat designed with special features for searching for, rescuing and saving the lives of people in peril at sea in inshore waters'. This is in contrast to a survival craft type of lifeboat that is...
s, a Dutch warship and other craft picked up 125 yachtsmen whose boats had been caught in force 11 violent storm strength gusts midway between
Land's EndLand's End is a headland on the Penwith peninsula, located near Penzance in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is the most westerly point of the English mainland; the westernmost point of the island of Great Britain as a whole is Corrachadh Mòr, Ardnamurchan, Scotland which is farther west...
and
FastnetFastnet can refer to:*Fastnet Rock, a small clay-slate island with quartz veins and the most southerly point of Ireland.*Fastnet race, One of the four or so most prestigious ocean races in competitive sailing....
". The effort also included tugs, trawlers, and tankers. Rescue efforts began after 6:30 am on 14 August, once the winds had dropped to severe gale Force 9.
Finish line
There was an accusation that because the race was not officially called off soon enough, some competitors were lost at sea because they kept on racing "for the honour of the race" instead of running for a port.
The corrected-time winner was the yacht Tenacious, designed by
Sparkman & StephensSparkman & Stephens is a naval architecture and yacht brokerage firm with main offices on 5th Avenue in New York City, USA and a second office in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA. The firm performs complete design and engineering of new vessels for pleasure, commercial, and military use, and they act...
, owned and skippered by
Ted TurnerRobert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable television network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television...
.
The winner on elapsed time in the race was the 77-foot SV
Condor which gained around 90 minutes on the leader at the Fastnet rock, the SV
Kialoa. Jim Kilroy of the
Kialoa had broken his ribs and there was damage to the yacht's runners. The
Condor broke the existing Fastnet record by nearly eight hours (71h25m23s).
Vessels that did not finish
69 yachts did not finish, listed here. Of those, 23 were lost or abandoned, the rest retired.
Main source:
Daily Telegraph, p. 3, 16 August, 1979.
- SV Accanito of France, broken rudder. Towed.
- SV Allamader. Abandoned.
- SV Alpha II
- SV Amanda Kulu
- SV Andiano Robin
- SV Angustura
- SV Animal
- SV Ariadne. Abandoned. *
- SV Arkadina
- SV Asteries
- SV Battle Cry
- SV Billy Bones. Abandoned.
- SV Blue Dolphin
- SV Bonaventure of Britain. Abandoned.
- SV Cabadah Ocean Wave Option
- SV Callirhaex 3. Abandoned.
- SV Camargue of Britain. Abandoned.
- SV Casse Tete
- SV Charioteer of Britain. Sunk.
- SV Corker
- SV Crazy Horse
- SV Détente
- SV Double O Two
- SV Enia
- SV Fiestina Tertia. (Abandoned.) *
- SV Finndabar. (Abandoned.)
- SV Gan. Abandoned.
- SV Gekko
- SV Golden Apple of Ireland, disabled. Abandoned. Crew rescued by helicopter.
- SV Golden Leigh
- SV Good Intentions
- SV Grimalkin. Abandoned and subsequently recovered. Read John Rousmaniere's 'Fastnet, Force 10' & Nick Ward's 'Left for Dead'.
- SV Gringo. Reported as 'believed sunk'.
- SV Hestral. (Abandoned.)
- SV Hoodlum
- SV Impetuous
- SV Juggernaut
- SV Kestel. Abandoned.
- SV Korsar
- SV La Barbarelle
- SV Little Ella
- SV Magic of Britain. Sunk.
- SV Maligawa III. Abandoned.
- SV Marionette VII
- SV Mexxanini
- SV Morning Cloud of Britain, broken rudder.
- SV Morning Glory
- SV Mulligatawny
- SV Mutine
- SV Pachena
- SV Pegasus
- SV Option2 of France, Granville
- SV Pepsi of England
- SV Pepsi of Holland
- SV Pinball Wizard
- SV Polar Bear of Britain. Sunk. Crew rescued.
- SV Regardless of Ireland, broken rudder. Towed by lifeboat.
- SV Samurai II
- SV Scaldis
- SV Scaramouche. (Abandoned.)
- SV Schuttevaer of Holland
- SV Sinndkabar
- SV Skat
- SV Sophia
- SV Tam O'Shanter
- SV Tarantula of France
- SV Trophy]]. Abandoned.
- SV Tiderace IV. Abandoned.
- SV Wild Goose of Singapore
- SV Yachtman of Spain
- SV Zap
Also
- SV Mulligatawny (not competing)
Craft that assisted the rescue mission
Over 4000 people aided in the rescue efforts. The
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
coordinated efforts with the success of finding around 80 vessels and rescuing 136 crew members.
Key contributors to the rescue:
Royal Navy
- HMS Anglesey, Island Class Patrol Vessel
- HMS Broadsword
Two ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Broadsword after the weapon.*The first HMS Broadsword was a Weapon class destroyer commissioned in 1948....
, frigate
- HMSTY Dasher, yacht
- HMS Sultan
HMS Sultan is a shore base of the Royal Navy in Gosport, Hampshire, England.Formerly Royal Naval Air Station HMS Siskin, HMS Sultan is now the headquarters of the Defence College of Electro-Mechanical Engineering and has overall control of teaching engineering to all three branches of the UK Armed...
, yacht
- One other RN vessel
- RFA Tidespring, fast fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a civilian-manned fleet of the British Ministry of Defence which enables ships of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom to maintain their tasking around the world. The RFA's primary role is to supply the Royal Navy with fuel and supplies. It also counts a repair ship,...
- Eight Royal Navy
The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
helicopters from RNAS CuldroseRoyal Naval Air Station Culdrose , based in Cornwall, near Helston, on the Lizard Peninsula, has three major roles: serving the Fleet Air Arm's front line Sea King and Merlin helicopter squadrons; providing search and rescue for the South West region; and training specialists for the Royal Navy.It...
and RNAS Prestwick, including Sea KingThe Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King is a twin-engined anti-submarine warfare helicopter. It served with the United States Navy and other forces, and continues to serve in many countries around the world. The Sea King has been built under license in Italy and Japan, and in the United Kingdom as the...
s, Lynx helicopters and Wessex helicopters
- Four Nimrods from RAF St Mawgan in Cornwall
Lifeboats
- Baltimore
Baltimore is located in western County Cork, Ireland. Baltimore is the principal village of the parish of Rath and the Islands, the southern most parish in Ireland...
lifeboat
- St Mary's Lifeboat
The St Mary's Lifeboat is stationed in St Mary's Habour, Isles of Scilly and has been an important station for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution since the service began in 1837, however without service between 1855 and 1874....
, Isles of ScillyThe Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of the British Isles. Traditionally administered as part of the county of Cornwall, the islands have had a unitary authority council since 1889...
, BallycottonBallycotton is a village in County Cork, Ireland, situated about 25 miles east of Cork city. It is a famous fishing village and has given its name to the folk band Ballycotton. The village is set on a rocky-ledge overlooking Ballycotton Bay and its sandy beach that stretches for about 25 km...
External links