“CLASSIC conditions”. That’s how the Royal Ocean Racing Club described Sunday’s start of one of the world’s fastest offshore races, the Fastnet, from Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
With 314 yachts, it was the largest and “most diverse” fleet in the race’s 86 year-history. The previous record of 303 entries having been set in 1979, when 15 people lost their lives in storm force 10 winds which defied weather forecasts at the time.
The US 100-foot entry, Rambler 100, with 20 men and one woman on board, was billed as a "pre-race favourite" in its class, but had an unlucky departure when it shredded its headsail on Sunday morning.
Described by Yachting Worldmagazine as one of "the most impressive racing yachts" on the globe, it holds a number of distinctions, including breaking the Royal Ocean Racing Club record in the Caribbean 600 race earlier this year.
Inquiries into the yacht’s sudden capsize last evening off the Fastnet are expected to focus on its “canting” or pivoting keel, built into maxi yachts off this type, but weather conditions were nothing like those of August 13th 1979.
Back then, a freak summer storm the 608-mile race, on its track along the British south coast, across the Celtic Sea to the Fastnet off the south-west Irish coast and back to Plymouth.
A satellite beacon on board the Rambler 100activated immediately last night, alerting the emergency rescue services.
In 1979, many of the yachts which set out had no such technology, lacking even basic VHF radio equipment in many instances.
The Naval Service patrol ship LE Deirdrewas 40 miles west of Fastnet at about 10pm on August 13th when Lieut Cdr John Kavanagh noticed the needle plummeting on his barometer. Wind had increased to southerly force seven with a heavy swell, corresponding with conditions forecast.
However, by 10.25pm that night, the barograph had dropped from 1014 hector-pascals (HPs) at midday to 989 – a drop of 25 HPs in 10 and a half hours.
At 10.45pm, the BBC issued a new gale warning for Fastnet rock, indicating that a storm force 10 gale was imminent.
At 1.40am on August 14th, the LE Deirdrereceived one of many calls for assistance, and there would be a long night and following day ahead for the ship, for the RNLI lifeboats from Baltimore, Courtmacsherry, Ballycotton in Co Cork and Dunmore East, Co Waterford, along with the Royal Air Force.
The Royal Navy, a Dutch frigate and even an Irish Continental Line ferry were among the vessels tasked to assist as crew in dismasted yachts made the fatal decision of taking to liferafts- becoming separated from their stricken yachts and making the task of pinpointing them in heavy seas difficult.
Some yacht crews wisely “battened down hatches” and rode out the storm.
A total of 136 people were saved,including former British prime minister Ted Heath on M orning Cloud.
Some 85 boats still managed to finish the race, but among the 15 who died was one Irishman, 35-year-old Gerard Winks.
"Offshore sailing is an adventure sport, crews have to be prepared, and it appears that everything worked to plan this time," Afloatsailing magazine editor David O'Brien said last night.
“There was a problem, the EPIRB went off as it was meant to do, the rescue services responded brilliantly – it came together, as it should.”
