Rolex Fastnet Race

On Sunday 9th August the fleet of circa 300 entries to the 2009 Rolex Fastnet race cross the start line in a race which marks the 30th anniversary of the infamous 1979 race which ended is disaster.

The race takes place every two years over a course of about 608nm starting off the Royal Yacht Squaron start line at Cowes travelling westbound past The Lizard and on to round the Fastnet lighthouse on the southern tip of Ireland then back to east to Plymouth.

The idea for the race was dreamed up by British Yachtsman Weston Martyr and the first race had just 7 competitors.  The winner was the gaff-rigged pilot cutter Jolie Brise owned and skippered by Evelyn George Martin.

In 1973 the International Offshore Rule, basically a boat handicapping system was introduced to the race allowing different classes of boat to compete for an overall fleet position (adjusted by the IOR) and this lead to the rise in commercial sponsorship of both boats and crews for the event.

TRADGEDY

In 1979, the 28th Fastnet race, the fleet set out in weather conditions of F6 (21-26 knts) gusting F7 (27-33) with forcasters predicting this to rise to F8 (34-40 knts).  With winds like these records were set to tumble; but that wasn’t to be.  By the following day 25 of the 306 starting boats had either sunk or been rendered un-sailable by “Mountainous seas”.  Royal and Irish Navy ships, helicopters, lifeboats and a Dutch warship picked up 125 yachtmen between land’s End and Fastnet during the rescue operation over the 13th and 14th August.  The fleet had been caught in Force 11 conditions (56-63 knt’s).  The Beaufort scale only goes to Force 12 which is the official definition of a hurricane.  The rescuers which included tugs, trawlers and tankers had to wait until early morning 14th August until the winds receeded back to severe gale force 9 before it was safe enough to start the rescue.  15 yachtmen lost their life over those two days.  The time corrected winner was later declared as the aptly named Tenacious, owned and skippered by Ted Turner the man who founded CNN.  69 yachts failed to finish the race.

MORE HISTORY

The 1985 race drew further attention when Simon Le Bon, the lead singer of the pop band Duran Duran suffered a capsize of his co-owned maxi yacht Drum.  He and five other crew members were trapped under the upturned hull for 20 minutes until they were rescued by the Royal Navy.

GOAL

Keep it a secret, but despite, and perhaps even because of the history of the event it is one of my ambitions to compete in it.  I don’t have to compete as an owner, and, although I’d bust a gut to place as high as possible I don’t harbour a need to win.  I just want to take part in the event so I can say I’ve done it.

Tagged as: Fastnet, Fastnet 1979, Rolex Fastnet