Here's a short documentary on the 1979 Fastnet Race - this one is a tribute to the Royal Navy rescue crews and has a focus on Nick Ward's experience on the Holland Half Tonner Grimalken, and which is recounted in his book "Left for Dead".
The documentary includes some
footage from the start of the infamous race, and look out for a shot of
the top boat of the Admiral's Cup that year (of which the Fastnet Race
was the series finale), the Peterson 39 Eclipse, just to windward of the star performer from the 1977 series, Imp. You can also see the Irish yacht Golden Apple of the Sun being towed into Plymouth after she had lost her rudder in the storm. Her crew were airlifted off the boat and she was recovered by the Royal Navy 20 hours after the storm's height.
Update July 2015 - here's another film, from the ESPN website, a feature on Ted Turner's winning effort with Tenacious.
Great clip, brings on big adrenaline rush with flashbacks! Thank you for posting, I would love to obtain a copy
ReplyDeleteMy toughest race ever. God Bless our brave emergency servicemen.
ReplyDeleteThunderer RAOC survived unscathed, retired in the middle of the Irish sea and returned unassisted to Plymouth after a knockdown but no serious damage or loss of life.
As above.
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