Fastnet, Force 10: The Deadliest Storm in the History of Modern Sailing

This reviewer was introduced to the story of the Fastnet race of 1979 from the book "The Proving Ground" by G. Bruce Knecht. "Fastnet, Force 10," however, was not as enjoyable for this reader as was the "The Proving Ground." Author John Rousmaniere definitely knows his stuff. He was a participant in the race on the yacht "Toscana." In fact, there is so much technical jargon and expertise in this book regarding types of sails, the effects of a boat's speed, and the shapes of waves, etc. as to make the book quite the challenge for the layreader who is not familiar with sailing. As another reviewer noted, "Fastnet, Force 10" is a more interesting read for a yachtman who already understands the basics of sailing equipment and technology.The subject, itself, is riveting and gut-wrenching. The Fastnet is a biannual yacht race from the southwest coastline of England (starting from Cowes), round Land's End and across the Celtic Sea, past the southwest coast of Ireland and ending at Plymouth. It is 608 nautical miles. The race in August 1979 was met by a violent storm with gale force 10 winds. Rescue efforts involved some 4,000 people and cost approximately $770,000. Only 85 of 303 yachts that started the race finished and 15 men were killed. The way the story is presented in "Fastnet, Force 10," however, makes it a surprisingly arduous read.The organization of the book made the story less compelling in this reviewer's opinion. It begins with the trials of the yacht "Grimalkin." It follows the yacht from pre-race preparations, troubles experienced when the storm hits, the loss of the skipper, the abandonment of two crew members left for dead by three of the survivors, and the rescue after one of the sailors still on the "Grimalkin" dies. The "Grimalkin" story ends at page 64 and will be revisited by page 253. Then the story shifts to the author's yacht, the "Toscana." After the experience of the "Toscana," the author skips to other ships, then to a history of boating deaths, details the use of different types of sails, factors that determine the size and shape of waves, the work of the lifeboat crews (particularly coxswain Matt Lethbridge), etc. The story did not have cohesion. The book finishes with the aftermath of the tragic storm including the media's response. The controversial comments made by Ted Turner, who was a participant in the race, are closely examined. It wasn't a book that kept this reader's interest, but a book to toil through to the end.The point made in "The Proving Ground" is that the 1979 Fastnet race proved a lesson to the participants in the 1998 Sydney to Hobart race in staying with one's yacht unless it was certain to sink. It was believed that some of the fatalities of the Fastnet race was due to crewmen leaving their ships for life rafts prematurely, considering the yachts abandoned remained afloat. Curiously, this subject was only touched on briefly by Rousmaniere towards the end of the book on pages 236-238 and, using quotes of fellow Fastnet competitors, on pages 254 and 258. The author does not give a clear opinion on the subject, though he appears to side with those who believed it was the right decision to leave their boats ("...critics chose to ignore available evidence that the life rafts did save many sailors"--pg. 238).The book is illustrated throughout, including close-up photos of rescue efforts. It definitely offers a plethora of information about the 1979 Fastnet race as well as expert insight into what the crews went through. Technical details on sailing and weather conditions, however, may bog down the reading for those with little to no knowledge of the subject.

John Rousmaniere is a well known sailing writer who knows whereof he writes. He was aboard one of the yachts in the 1979 Fastnet Race when they were struck by the worst storm in the history of competitive sailing. The weather forecast was not for severe weather although the English Channel and the Western Approaches have been known for bad weather since the Armada in 1588. The D-Day invasion was delayed one day and almost called off by a June storm. This storm was actually rather small but intense and its significance was not recognized in time to avoid the catastrophic effect on the smaller boats in the fleet. Rousmaniere was a watch captain on a large and strong Swan built yacht that survived the storm with little damage but a hairy experience for the crew. The smaller boats were "caught out" as the storm hit before they reached the Fastnet Rock where they could run for home. Some wiser skippers dropped out early but many waited too long or were too far from shelter when it hit during the night. After the event was over, Rousmaniere returned to interview survivors from the most badly damaged boats. His account is the best we will have and is still a classic to put beside Adlard Coles' " Adlard Coles' Heavy Weather Sailing, Sixth Edition  or the later editions by Peter Bruce,  Heavy Weather Sailing, 30th Anniversary Edition . Rousmaniere's book should be in every offshore sailor's library.

From reading Perfect Storm two years ago I have started reading adventure stories at sea. This is a fascinating race in extreme conditions which the author describes very well based on his first hand knowledge. But he also analyzes what went wrong and where the blame should be placed if anywhere. The pictures are exceptional and this is an excellent read with a few slow spots.However, it is not my favorite sailing adventure. That would be Fatal Storm, the Inside Story of the Sydney-Hobart race. While it may not have taught as much, the stories were more in-depth and mesmerizing.This book has historical importance from a sailing perspective as it was one of the first races of the modern era with catastrophic results and much was learned for equipment development. A must read for sailors and adventure junkies. Also good for someone wanting to learn about the technical side of racing and weather.

Fastnet, Force 10 provides an informative, detailed narrative of the tragic 1979 Fastnet yacht race. However, I think it rather unfortunate that Rousmaniere, an admitted Anglophile New England WASP awkwardly digressed to demean his own countrymen. He cites inter alia "The only large American institution even remotely like it (the RNLI or Royal National Lifeboat Institution) is the Red Cross, except that the Red Cross is so ubiquitous to American life that it is all but taken for granted". I would suggest that Rousmaniere pause and pick up a copy of "The Finest Hours; Authors: Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman", the compelling and descriptive true Stories of the heroic, self sacrificing U.S. Coast Guard's New England based 36' Motor Lifeboat rescue cutters most daring sea rescues. I agree that the English Lifeboat crews are commendable but these efforts are universal and certainly exemplified by the honor and courage of our own Coast Guard's rescue efforts. USCG Boatswain's Mate First Class Coxswain Bernie Webber's courage and persistence are certainly compatible to Coxswain Matthew Lethbridge and his RNLI rescue crew's efforts out of the St. Mary's, Scilly Isles station.

A fantastic account of those awful events around the 1979 Fastnet Race. It lead to lots of changes and improvements to offshore yacht racing which I guess is some sort of tribute to the tragic loss of life.

This book has to be one of the best of its type. Immaculately accurate it conveys in no small measure the absolutely horrifying conditions that the competitors in the Fastnet of that fateful year had to contend with. There can be no doubt that this author lived through a most traumatic event, and along with others in the race who lived to tell the tale he will never forget it. So sad that people died because of horrendous storm conditions in boats which would normally have kept them all safe.

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.

I knew a bit about this Fastnet race as I was in Dunmore East at the time but this book was fascinating. I went back to it several times to check out various details.

Great detail in terms of not only the technical aspects of what happened but also the human aspect. Take your time in getting to grips with the detail, it’s well worth the read.