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Fastnet, Force 10: The Deadliest Storm in the History of Modern Sailing
In August 1979, 303 yachts began the 600-mile Fastnet Race from the Isle of Wight off the southwest coast of England to Fastnet Rock off the Irish coast and back.
It began in fine weather, then suddenly became a terrifying ordeal. A Force 10, sixty-knot storm swept across the North Atlantic with a speed that confounded forecasters, slamming into the fleet with epic fury. For twenty hours, 2,500 men and women were smashed by forty-foot breaking waves, while rescue helicopters and lifeboats struggled to save them. By the time the race was over, fifteen people had died, twenty-four crews had abandoned ship, five yachts had sunk, 136 sailors had been rescued, and only 85 boats had finished the race. John Rousmaniere was there, and he tells the tragic story of the greatest disaster in the history of yachting as only one who has sailed through the teeth of a killer storm can. With a new introduction by the author.
It began in fine weather, then suddenly became a terrifying ordeal. A Force 10, sixty-knot storm swept across the North Atlantic with a speed that confounded forecasters, slamming into the fleet with epic fury. For twenty hours, 2,500 men and women were smashed by forty-foot breaking waves, while rescue helicopters and lifeboats struggled to save them. By the time the race was over, fifteen people had died, twenty-four crews had abandoned ship, five yachts had sunk, 136 sailors had been rescued, and only 85 boats had finished the race. John Rousmaniere was there, and he tells the tragic story of the greatest disaster in the history of yachting as only one who has sailed through the teeth of a killer storm can. With a new introduction by the author.
332 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 1980
149 people are currently reading
763 people want to read
About the author
John Rousmaniere
39 books12 followersJohn Rousmaniere has sailed in over 35,000 miles of offshore voyaging and racing. He crewed on the 48-foot Toscana in the fateful Fastnet Race of 1979.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
July 20, 2012
A freak storm charged through the 1979 Fastnet ocean sailing race off the coast of Ireland. The result was the deadliest race in history. Rousmaniere, a sailor in the race, provides a relatively comprehensive survey of the event, including race history and maritime weather explanations.
He talks about his own experience in the race aboard a boat that suffered much less than others. He recounts the stories of other sailors whose harrowing survivals were frightening to read--- people who watched friends and relatives get swept overboard, and others clinging for hours to vessels with dead or dying crewmates. This includes one sailor who after losing the skipper overboard, was abandoned by the other surviving crewmates and regained consciousness alone with his dead friend and no life raft in sight.
The book is full of photos and diagrams. Rousmaniere analyzes the tragedy from all different angles without losing touch with the humanity of the survivors and victims. Ultimately while various factors can influence one's survival chances, sailing is a risky activity and the sea is never truly predictable.
He talks about his own experience in the race aboard a boat that suffered much less than others. He recounts the stories of other sailors whose harrowing survivals were frightening to read--- people who watched friends and relatives get swept overboard, and others clinging for hours to vessels with dead or dying crewmates. This includes one sailor who after losing the skipper overboard, was abandoned by the other surviving crewmates and regained consciousness alone with his dead friend and no life raft in sight.
The book is full of photos and diagrams. Rousmaniere analyzes the tragedy from all different angles without losing touch with the humanity of the survivors and victims. Ultimately while various factors can influence one's survival chances, sailing is a risky activity and the sea is never truly predictable.
September 20, 2008
Terrifying. Heartbreaking. True.
John Rousmaniere wrote the sailing manual I use most frequently both for teaching and for my own reference. In this book he recounts his experience aboard a yacht that competed in this ill-fated race. Not content to simply tell his story, he draws on meteorology to tell the story of the storm and of the physical factors that led to its most destructive elements; the erratic breaking waves that sunk five boats, crippled scores more, and swallowed mariners never to be seen again. Through interviews with survivors and rescue personnel he weaves an unforgettable tale through the madness and chaos.
Excellent book for anyone interested in Ocean Racing and the development of modern sail racing. I can see why this book became an instant classic.
John Rousmaniere wrote the sailing manual I use most frequently both for teaching and for my own reference. In this book he recounts his experience aboard a yacht that competed in this ill-fated race. Not content to simply tell his story, he draws on meteorology to tell the story of the storm and of the physical factors that led to its most destructive elements; the erratic breaking waves that sunk five boats, crippled scores more, and swallowed mariners never to be seen again. Through interviews with survivors and rescue personnel he weaves an unforgettable tale through the madness and chaos.
Excellent book for anyone interested in Ocean Racing and the development of modern sail racing. I can see why this book became an instant classic.
March 11, 2016
Being the daughter of and married to US Navy sailors, I've always been fascinated by the sea and those who travel across her. My fascination with terrible storms at sea was only increased after I read The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea at my husband's urging (it's one of his favorite movies), so when this book popped up in my Goodreads suggestions, it seemed the perfect read for me.
This book is incredible. Rousmaniere, himself a sailor in the 1979 Fastnet race that lost 15 participants to the horrible storm that blew in at the height of the race, does an amazing job of trying to keep as impersonal as possible, but it's clear that this tragedy has affected him. I appreciate that unlike the other journalists that covered the story just after it happened, and who hadn't been at sea during this awful gale, he didn't blame the sailors themselves for their deaths or injuries, and he is very careful to emphasize that even though his crew and the yacht they sailed came through without mishap, that was not the experience of a great deal of his fellow sailors, who endured unimaginable horror in seeing their crewmates die from injuries sustained on board, or who were swept away by the huge waves. Rousmaniere does an excellent job of showing the heroism of everyone who sailed in this race.
My only slight quibble with this book is that Rousmaniere tends to use far too much sailing jargon for those of us who have no sailing experience. Fortunately, it's not absolutely crucial to understand why the crew used this sail or that in certain situations, and it's easy to skim over these technical bits.
Highly recommended, though I'd suggest not reading this book if you're feeling at all emotionally fragile, as you will probably cry at every loss of life. I cannot help but be reminded of the Navy hymn:
This book is incredible. Rousmaniere, himself a sailor in the 1979 Fastnet race that lost 15 participants to the horrible storm that blew in at the height of the race, does an amazing job of trying to keep as impersonal as possible, but it's clear that this tragedy has affected him. I appreciate that unlike the other journalists that covered the story just after it happened, and who hadn't been at sea during this awful gale, he didn't blame the sailors themselves for their deaths or injuries, and he is very careful to emphasize that even though his crew and the yacht they sailed came through without mishap, that was not the experience of a great deal of his fellow sailors, who endured unimaginable horror in seeing their crewmates die from injuries sustained on board, or who were swept away by the huge waves. Rousmaniere does an excellent job of showing the heroism of everyone who sailed in this race.
My only slight quibble with this book is that Rousmaniere tends to use far too much sailing jargon for those of us who have no sailing experience. Fortunately, it's not absolutely crucial to understand why the crew used this sail or that in certain situations, and it's easy to skim over these technical bits.
Highly recommended, though I'd suggest not reading this book if you're feeling at all emotionally fragile, as you will probably cry at every loss of life. I cannot help but be reminded of the Navy hymn:
Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
August 24, 2019
The Fastnet disaster is a gift of a tale for any author to relate – riveting and tragic throughout – yet Rousmaniere's book gets nowhere near to making the most of that natural storytelling advantage.
Although it starts out in promising fashion, with some gripping prose and fascinating detail, fairly quickly it loses focus, and by the second half the author is dispensing more or less random information in no particular order.
By the end the story just fizzles out, leaving the reader unfulfilled and with the distinct feeling that only some of the best stories have been told.
Rousmaniere clearly knows his stuff, and his assessments of the various factors that led to the disaster are well informed and carefully considered. But his sailing knowledge also gets in the way, with far too much assumed knowledge and a lot of technical jargon about jibs and mainsails that he doesn't even make an effort to explain.
It seems as if I've read quite a few non-fiction books like this recently: ones that start out with authority and enthusiasm but gradually, as the book gets into the meat of the story, begin to get sloppier, more disjointed and progressively more unfocussed – until by the end (probably with the publisher hassling the author for completion) everything is just thrown down on the page in a mad effort to get the project completed.
Of course this is a failing of the authors, but it's also a failing of editors too. It is their job to insist that the job is done properly, and to throw back the manuscript until that is the case.
Although it starts out in promising fashion, with some gripping prose and fascinating detail, fairly quickly it loses focus, and by the second half the author is dispensing more or less random information in no particular order.
By the end the story just fizzles out, leaving the reader unfulfilled and with the distinct feeling that only some of the best stories have been told.
Rousmaniere clearly knows his stuff, and his assessments of the various factors that led to the disaster are well informed and carefully considered. But his sailing knowledge also gets in the way, with far too much assumed knowledge and a lot of technical jargon about jibs and mainsails that he doesn't even make an effort to explain.
It seems as if I've read quite a few non-fiction books like this recently: ones that start out with authority and enthusiasm but gradually, as the book gets into the meat of the story, begin to get sloppier, more disjointed and progressively more unfocussed – until by the end (probably with the publisher hassling the author for completion) everything is just thrown down on the page in a mad effort to get the project completed.
Of course this is a failing of the authors, but it's also a failing of editors too. It is their job to insist that the job is done properly, and to throw back the manuscript until that is the case.
December 19, 2020
Fastnet is a 600 mile yacht race, 70 miles of the coast of England, around a lighthouse on the Irish coast. In the 1979 Fastnet race there were 303 yachts and 2700 participants. On August 13 and 14 a storm with Force 10 wind (48 to 55 knots) struck in the middle of the race causing the worst disaster in 100 years of ocean yacht racing. There were waves as high as 50 feet holding as much as 20,000 lbs of water. By contrast, the yachts in this race averaged 38 feet long and weighed 15,000 lbs. A third of the boats were knocked over until their masts were parallel to the water; one fourth were capsized entirely. Twenty four crews abandoned their yachts, five of which sank. One hundred thirty six crew members were saved by helicopter, 70 were towed or escorted to safety by rescue boats; fifteen people died.
This book is a first-hand account by a number of sailors in the race of what it was like to fight for their lives. Some had safety harnesses fail; some were thrown across the cockpit or cabin with such force that bones were broken; some were trapped in the cockpit or cabin after a huge wave turned the yacht upside down. This book was engaging for the first third and pleasant to read for the first half or so. By that point it had become fairly repetitive. It has the feel of an article in Outside magazine that the author expanded into a book. There may have been some new and interesting material in the second half of the book but it will remain undiscovered by me. A good read as long as you are willing to put it down unfinished. Three stars.
This book is a first-hand account by a number of sailors in the race of what it was like to fight for their lives. Some had safety harnesses fail; some were thrown across the cockpit or cabin with such force that bones were broken; some were trapped in the cockpit or cabin after a huge wave turned the yacht upside down. This book was engaging for the first third and pleasant to read for the first half or so. By that point it had become fairly repetitive. It has the feel of an article in Outside magazine that the author expanded into a book. There may have been some new and interesting material in the second half of the book but it will remain undiscovered by me. A good read as long as you are willing to put it down unfinished. Three stars.
July 5, 2008
This is a horrifying story of the famous Fastnet Race (sailing) in the Irish Sea. In 1979 the racers (303 boats) found themselves stuck in a Force 10 gale with over 40 foot waves pounding them relentlessly for over 24 hours. Fifteen sailors died. Seventy-seven boats capsized, over 100 were knocked down. The cast of sailors included former British Prime Minister Edward Heath, Ted Turner etc. The combined British rescue was the largest effort since Dunkirk....John Rousmaniere's account is spectacular and gripping. If you liked "The Perfect Storm"...this is a classic.
August 2, 2011
Incredibly gripping account of the Fastnet race of 1979, in which the fleet was ravaged by Force 10 winds with higher gusts. This book provides a detailed examination of both the technical aspects and the human toll of the storm, its survivors, and those who were lost.
May 14, 2011
This is THE MOST exciting true adventure story you will ever read. 'Into Thin Air was Great', this is even better!
May 31, 2013
Riveting reading about sailing skill matched against a freak storm. Vivid writing. Sailors, in particular, will recognize what these folks were up against.
January 5, 2022
Harrowing but massively informative, and essential reading for anyone who sails offshore. Even though more than 40 years old the lessons are even more relevant today.
October 24, 2015
“Fastnet Force 10,” by John Rousemaniere (Norton, 1980). This is an account of the disaster that befell the 1979 Fastnet Race, when more than 300 boats carrying more than 3,000 experienced sailors, sailing as fast as they could between Plymouth, England, and Fastnet Rock off the coast of Ireland, encountered a completely unexpected and unprecedentedly vicious storm. It swept in from the west and caught everyone at sea, unprepared. Fifteen men and women died, five boats sank, 19 were abandoned and recovered. Rousemaniere was in the race, in a 48-foot sloop called Toscana. Here he provides a detailed, often terrifying account of what happened: how the small, fast storm snuck up on the racers, how immense and dangerous the seas were, how high the wind (possibly as much as 90 knots), how desperately various crews tried to survive, how dozens of the vessels were rolled over or capsized by the storm. The book is full of illustrations taken before, during and after the storm. It didn’t matter how well-prepared the sailors were: in case after case the sea overcame them. At first no one knew quite what had happened. For a while commentators blamed the sailors, saying they were inexperienced, their boats too small and not made for offshore racing. But even the biggest boats, like former Prime Minister Edward Heath’s Morning Cloud was knocked down, and he admitted that he was frightened. Eventually the truth began to come through, and Rousemaniere finally provides the full story. Thorough, detailed account of a tragedy.
http://books.wwnorton.com/books/Fastn...
September 20, 2021
John Rousmaniere was one of the first journalists to whom I spoke after the Fastnet Nightmare Storm of 1979.
( the other two being Bob Fisher & Jack Knights)
I was a ‘shell shocked’ 23 year old, and vividly recall our conversation about my experiences.
This was at my parent’s home in Hamble, and not long after my return from Cornwall. In the fall of ‘79.
My father was protective of me, but I knew that John had sailed in the same race aboard a ‘Swan 47’ and so I needed to talk.
This book, “Fastnet Force 10’ is the definitive ‘go to’ book to read if any reader, yachtsman, or no, wishes to understand the big picture of 1979’s Fastnet Race. As it gives first hand accounts from those who were both participant and rescued by the amazing SAR teams of the day whose accounts are documented too.
I willingly gave the author my own account of what I had experienced.
Don’t bother to read other books, about the storm, as John Rousmaniere’s documents it as it actually was.
It was not until many years later, and with Sinead O’Brien’s help, after retiring from a 35 year career in the Marine Trade that I was able to document my own, somewhat more personal account of precisely what happened to me, in my first person account’Left For Dead’
(An account you can find here at Goodreads.)
And, bless him, ‘JR’ was gracious enough to write a cover note for the U.S. edition of my own account.
But Fastnet Force 10 is a ‘must read’ book.
Thank you John.
Nick Ward
Hamble
January 2021
( the other two being Bob Fisher & Jack Knights)
I was a ‘shell shocked’ 23 year old, and vividly recall our conversation about my experiences.
This was at my parent’s home in Hamble, and not long after my return from Cornwall. In the fall of ‘79.
My father was protective of me, but I knew that John had sailed in the same race aboard a ‘Swan 47’ and so I needed to talk.
This book, “Fastnet Force 10’ is the definitive ‘go to’ book to read if any reader, yachtsman, or no, wishes to understand the big picture of 1979’s Fastnet Race. As it gives first hand accounts from those who were both participant and rescued by the amazing SAR teams of the day whose accounts are documented too.
I willingly gave the author my own account of what I had experienced.
Don’t bother to read other books, about the storm, as John Rousmaniere’s documents it as it actually was.
It was not until many years later, and with Sinead O’Brien’s help, after retiring from a 35 year career in the Marine Trade that I was able to document my own, somewhat more personal account of precisely what happened to me, in my first person account’Left For Dead’
(An account you can find here at Goodreads.)
And, bless him, ‘JR’ was gracious enough to write a cover note for the U.S. edition of my own account.
But Fastnet Force 10 is a ‘must read’ book.
Thank you John.
Nick Ward
Hamble
January 2021
January 15, 2015
No classroom lifeboat ethics scenario comes close to the real-life disaster during one of the world's most elite sailing races, where multimillionaire skippers like Ted Turner compete against former British Prime Ministers in state-of-the-art sailing yachts, built for speed, with expert crews and no financial amount spared. A fast-moving storm charged across North America and slammed into UK, right in the middle of the Fastnet race. Caught out, the crews on their boats found themselves in terrifying conditions, churned in violent seas that resembled more a massive washing machine cycle than any ocean. Boats were flipped, stripped of their masts and rigging, their interiors smashed, their crews battered. As rescue helicopters and boats roared out of the safety of their bases to head out into the worst conditions the teams had ever seen, one shocked and terrified crew was faced with a wrenching moral dilemma - with their nearly-destroyed boat sinking, crowding into their fragile life rafts in cold and raging seas: should they take their two gravely-injured crewmen with them or leave them behind?
Not often noticed, this book reminds the reader that life rafts really do exist and morality is not just a theoretical exercise in the classroom. Tough and hard things happen to nice people all the time, and they are marked by what they do or don't do for the rest of their lives.
Not often noticed, this book reminds the reader that life rafts really do exist and morality is not just a theoretical exercise in the classroom. Tough and hard things happen to nice people all the time, and they are marked by what they do or don't do for the rest of their lives.
January 5, 2019
The miracle of this book is that you do not have to ever set foot on a sailboat to be completely captivated by this tale of man versus nature, despite the abundance of sport-specific terminology. Rousmaniere does a tremendous job of weaving his own tale as a race participant throughout a very thorough dissection of the events before, during and after the 1979 Fastnet Race. This book was recommended to me by the captain of an 11 meter sailboat Berimilla, who I had the pleasure of meeting on his way thru to become the smallest vessel to to complete the Northwest Passage, at the time. He came to my place with his crew, we played Ruckshuck, drank wine, and told stories. I went down to the small boat harbor and toured Berimilla, marveling at it’s tiny size to have come all the way from Australia to Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, with a long ways yet to go, above Canada and then across the North Atlantic to England. They carried a coin across the Northwest Passage, and mailed it to me from England. I am in contact with all three to this day - Alex, Connie and Kimbra - and now I understand a little more of what it feels like to be in a tiny boat in big water. Cheers, mates - you are heroes, in my book.
April 14, 2019
Uitstekend verslag van de rampzalige Fastnet zeilwedstijd in 1979, geschreven door één van de deelnemers van toen. En dat is te merken: het is alsof je zelf op de zeilschepen meevaart terwijl de losgescheurde zeilen je om de oren vliegen.
De structuur is nogal rommelig, normaal zou ik daar een ster voor aftrekken. Nu vind ik het een verrijking: zo voel je nog beter de chaos van een zeilwedstijd in een extreem zware storm.
De schrijver heeft veel onderzoek gedaan naar de omstandigheden van de verschillende schepen en hij meet zich geen oordeel aan over het zeemanschap van de deelnemers met grote pech. De enige die het licht moet ontgelden is Ted Turner, de winnaar van de wedstrijd. Ted liet zich al kort na de wedstrijd laatdunkend uit over de deelnemers die waren verdronken of in zijn ogen te vroeg van hun schip in een reddingsvlot waren gestapt.
De structuur is nogal rommelig, normaal zou ik daar een ster voor aftrekken. Nu vind ik het een verrijking: zo voel je nog beter de chaos van een zeilwedstijd in een extreem zware storm.
De schrijver heeft veel onderzoek gedaan naar de omstandigheden van de verschillende schepen en hij meet zich geen oordeel aan over het zeemanschap van de deelnemers met grote pech. De enige die het licht moet ontgelden is Ted Turner, de winnaar van de wedstrijd. Ted liet zich al kort na de wedstrijd laatdunkend uit over de deelnemers die waren verdronken of in zijn ogen te vroeg van hun schip in een reddingsvlot waren gestapt.
June 24, 2015
This was an account of the huge storm that took the lives of many participants of a sailing race in the 1970s. Written by a race participant, the author made a grand attempt at keeping emotional reactions and personal opinion out, and tried to write a factual account of the event. His feelings bleed through between the lines, and lend strength to his words. I really liked the book--I gave it only three stars because this guy is hardly an author and they could have given the man an editor--but I guess that's why it's so...real. It's raw and while the man will never win any literary awards for writing, the sailing information is accurate...so as far as an accurate account of a major sailing race, it is excellent.
August 8, 2016
This book shares the stories of men who were put to the ultimate test for their lives. All of the events are broken down technically so that others may learn from their experiences to the best of the author's ability in obtaining information.
The information shared here may not make you a blue ocean skipper - but if you are going to attempt sailing the big blue one day - this is something you should read - not while you are headed across the big blue.
I enjoyed the stories, the hardships and triumphs. But most of all - the explanation of choices, different boat types, varying situations and most of all the realization that there is nothing normal, typical, expected about weather and how it can vary so much by the separation of a few to dozen nautical miles.
The information shared here may not make you a blue ocean skipper - but if you are going to attempt sailing the big blue one day - this is something you should read - not while you are headed across the big blue.
I enjoyed the stories, the hardships and triumphs. But most of all - the explanation of choices, different boat types, varying situations and most of all the realization that there is nothing normal, typical, expected about weather and how it can vary so much by the separation of a few to dozen nautical miles.
July 27, 2019
A well balanced (in my opinion) account of a set of tragic events written by someone who sailed in the race. Perfectly readable even if you are a non-sailor although some of the terminology and more technical sections may be a little baffling/boring. It was written and published quickly after the events and this does show in places, it jumps around a bit and could be slightly better organised. This didn't affect my enjoyment of it though, I found it an addictive read. Some say it is best read on land, but it certainly hasn't put me off sailing! I actually found it quite reassuring to read how extreme and unlucky conditions have to be to have such terrible results. I will definitely lend this to friends.
March 10, 2014
Ever been at sea in really rough weather? Ever been on a yacht race? Ever sailed? Ever thought you'd like to sail? Chances are you'd could enjoy this book. I didn't say you would, but you could. It's about the deadliest yacht race ever, the 1979 Fastnet. Rousmaniere, who sailed on one of the boats that survived the race, does a great job of tying the stories of many of the sailors together into a fast paced whole. The photos throughout are dramatic and credible, conveying the terrible force of the wind and the seas. Although in over 30 years of sailing I never endured conditions approaching these, and never wanted to, I could hardly bring myself to put it down.
July 28, 2016
Books written by journalists are always a bit simplistic for me. But I guess the subject matter is dramatic enough. An incredibly strong wild fast moving storm hit the fleet of boats racing in the 1979 Fastnet open water sailing race between southern England and Fastnet Rock off tip of Southern Ireland. It was the deadliest sailing disaster ever. This book examines some of the causes, effects, aftermath. The author was crew on a larger boat that was far enough ahead to miss the worst of the storm. Most were not so lucky. Terrifying read. I am now more sure than ever that I do not wish to sail off shore.
April 3, 2021
The Fastnet Race happens every two years off the coast of England. Rousmaniere was a participant in 1979 when a massive storm hit the race with devastating consequences. This is his effort to document all that happened. It's interesting - and a bit terrifying.
Thing is, he tries to tell the stories of too many different boats and it all kinda just gets mashed up together. The timeline is lost as well (though I'm not sure how one could accurately compile so many stories onto one timeline in a coherent fashion - so he done good with what he was trying to do).
Taken for all the mini-vignettes of seamanship, heroism, fate, and whatnot - it's a good read.
Thing is, he tries to tell the stories of too many different boats and it all kinda just gets mashed up together. The timeline is lost as well (though I'm not sure how one could accurately compile so many stories onto one timeline in a coherent fashion - so he done good with what he was trying to do).
Taken for all the mini-vignettes of seamanship, heroism, fate, and whatnot - it's a good read.
December 30, 2013
A sometimes interesting read about one of the deadliest deep sea sailing races ever. The author, however, spends an inordinate amount of time trying to defend the storm's strength, almost defensively, as if saying that it was a terrible storm isn't enough. He'd have you believe that it was the worst storm ever encountered by sailing vessels. He also contradicts himself; he justifies the fact that many sailors abandoning their yachts when all but five yachts stayed afloat and were later recovered. It had the potential for a gripping read but falls short.
August 26, 2016
The best adventure stories are told by those who were there. better yet if the author is an expert at what he/she does and can see that no matter how skilled or prepared you are, sometimes the elements just conspire against you.
An excellent blend of seamanship, history, weather and nail biting tension make the story of the 1979 Fastnet ocean race unforgettable. Tragic though it may be to have lost so many lives, the swiftness and bravery of the rescuers cant be overlooked for the lives that were not lost.
An excellent blend of seamanship, history, weather and nail biting tension make the story of the 1979 Fastnet ocean race unforgettable. Tragic though it may be to have lost so many lives, the swiftness and bravery of the rescuers cant be overlooked for the lives that were not lost.
April 26, 2019
The author does an excellent job of putting you in the action on the high seas. It certainly would've helped to have a better understanding of sailing. But, you can get the gist well enough without really understanding what "reefing the mainsail" entails. It was very interesting to read this forty years after the fact to see how much technology has changed the world. The story served as a stark reminder that it just wasn't that long ago that people not only didn't have access to satellite technology, they didn't even have two way radios.
April 30, 2020
A harrowing tale of one of the deadliest storms in maritime history and a battle for survival as the fleet of the Fastnet race headed into the eye of the storm. Many lives were lost, but even more were saved as the brave men of the RNLI and RAF, as well as boats that went, responded to the SOS messages and battled against the elements to pluck desperate sailors from the jaws of death. The narrative spares no details: it is a wonder that any of them survived.
January 10, 2020
Not a well told tale but very thorough, balanced & instructive documentation of a sailing disaster. I have a nearly insatiable appetite for sailing disaster stories that are well documented. The USCG publishes many and I read them. I consider them my graduate education source for being a professional mariner.
June 5, 2015
An enthralling read for anyone who enjoys sailing. An expert sailor gives first-hand accounts of professionals thrown into a life and death situation. I especially appreciated his objective explanations of varying accounts of the storm's severity, with appropriate respect to those who so unfortunately lost their lives.
September 7, 2019
Very fascinating and scary tale of the 79' Fastnet tragedy
Captivating book with great description of individual yachts experiences as well as rescue services. It depicts the heroic efforts of both yachtsmen and rescue service crew in this unusually strong gale in the western approaches between Ireland and Great Britain. Makes one think twice to set out in bad forecasts.
Captivating book with great description of individual yachts experiences as well as rescue services. It depicts the heroic efforts of both yachtsmen and rescue service crew in this unusually strong gale in the western approaches between Ireland and Great Britain. Makes one think twice to set out in bad forecasts.
July 24, 2012
Well-written account of a deadly storm that struck the Fastnet sailing race in 1979. The author was present at that race, and does a very good job of detailing the events of the disaster in a readable, accessible way, giving human faces to those involved.
August 13, 2013
The depressing but honest story about the "Low Y" storm. Corpses in cockpits, washed out skippers, broken bones and sunk boats. A true meaning of "masochism", unplugged, that is Ocean Racing in one of the deadliest regattas on the planet.
Must read for everyone who sails.
Must read for everyone who sails.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews