Join WILLIAM THOMSON on his journey each month exploring a Shipping Forecast region
The Fastnet Shipping Forecast region draws its name from a rocky outcrop off the southern tip of Ireland, etched on sailors’ charts as the ‘teardrop of Ireland’ - a title earned from its position as the last sight of Ireland for emigrants sailing to America. This isolated beacon, lying roughly 6.5km southwest of Cape Clear Island and about 13km from the Irish mainland, is a small, craggy outcrop, spanning around 24 acres, with its highest point standing 30m above sea level.
Despite the island’s small size, it dominates the maritime landscape with the iconic Fastnet Lighthouse, a masterpiece of 19th-century engineering. The 54-metre tower, clad in Cornish granite, was constructed to withstand the fiercest Atlantic storms. Its light, a powerful beacon with a range of 27 nautical miles, flashes white every five seconds, a rhythmic pulse that has become synonymous with safety in the region. The solitary flash, amidst the ocean’s expanse, is both a warning and a welcoming symbol for mariners from all compass points.
For sailors, Fastnet is synonymous with its race, a test of skill and endurance that unfolds annually in August, during the unpredictable season of late summer. August, etched in the British psyche as peak holiday season, is also a time of atmospheric instability and guaranteed troubled weather. The heat, welcomed by the masses lounging on our beaches, is also the catalyst for intense depressions capable of conjuring storms that ravage our coastal waters with fierce wind and waves - and this is exactly what happened in the devastating 1979 race.
Tide School Boost your knowledge of the sea with William’s online tide school: tide-school.com
Every year, the Fastnet Race starts at the Isle of Wight in the Solent, carves a path around the Fastnet Rock, and concludes at Plymouth, spanning a challenging 608 nautical miles.
It is a regatta that tempts the brave and the seasoned, luring them into the theatre of the sea’s unpredictability with a heavy dose of ocean sailing. But in 1979, the race became the stage for a harrowing event when a strengthening storm took the fleet by surprise, resulting in 15 sailors losing their lives. It was a rare tragic event when the Shipping Forecast was unable to save lives.
Unprecedented waves, towering up to 15m, and gale force winds, battered the vessels, pushing sailors to their limits. Amidst this tempest, a dire decision led many to abandon their ships for the liferafts – but heartbreakingly, when the storm abated, many of the abandoned yachts were found drifting, eerily intact, while their crews perished in the rafts they thought would be their salvation.
The 197
