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Man dies falling from yacht in English Channel ‘during historic race’

Sussex yacht club has paid tribute after one of its sailors passed away, with an investigation launched into the tragedy, article bookmarked.

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A sailor has died after falling from a yacht in the English Channel.

He fell from the vessel in French waters on Friday afternoon, with reports that he was taking part in the historic Royal Escape Race.

Sussex Yacht Club posted a statement on its Facebook page following the tragic incident.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of one of our fellow sailors yesterday,” the club said. “Sussex Yacht Club are working with the Police, Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Marine Accident Investigation Bureau to assist with their enquiries.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and supporting our sailors at this difficult time.”

According to Sky News the man was taking part in the 43rd Royal Escape Race, an event launched in 1977 to celebrate the Queen’s silver jubilee.

Participants follow the route Charles II took aboard the coal barge Surprise from Shoreham-by-Sea to the Normandy port of Fécamp.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “Sussex Police were made aware of a man having sadly died in the English Channel after falling from a yacht in French waters in the early hours of Saturday morning. The incident is understood to have happened at around 2pm on Friday.

“Police are supporting the Coastguard by offering liaison with the man’s family and will continue to offer support to the relevant agencies while the full circumstances of the situation are established.”

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Clipper Round The World Race: CV30 GREAT Britain Simon Speirs passes away after being washed overboard

• Stef Bottinelli

CV30 GREAT Britain crewmember Simon Speirs died during the race after being washed overboard on Saturday. He was buried at sea yesterday (19 November)

Simon Speirs, a crew member on board CV30, GREAT Britain passed away after being washed overboard.

Simon, 60, from Bristol, was on the foredeck assisting with a headsail change from Yankee 3 when the accident happened.

Clipper Ventured said in a statement that Speirs was clipped on with his safety tether, but he became separated from the yacht in the Southern Ocean at approximately 0814UTC (1414 local time) in rough seas, in 20 knots of wind, gusting 40.

The team assisted immediately with man overboard recovery and despite the rough conditions, Simon was recovered back on board by Andy Burns, the skipper, and crew within 36 minutes. CPR was immediately administered by three medically trained crew, which included a GP.

However Speirs never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at 0925UTC. The cause of death is unconfirmed at this time but thought to be by drowning.

All other crew are reported safe and are being supported remotely by the Race Office.

The incident occurred on Day 18 in Race 3 of the 13 stage Clipper Race. The fleet was racing from South Africa, Australia. The yacht, which was in sixth place, currently has approximately 1,500 miles left to its destination.

At the time of the incident, Clipper Ventures says that Speirs was “clipped on, wearing his lifejacket, which included an AIS beacon, as well as approved waterproof ocean oilskins. A full investigation will now be carried out, as is standard practice, into the full details of the incident, including the reasons his safety tether did not keep him on board, in cooperation with the appropriate authorities.”

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A member of the crew since Race Start in the UK on August 20, 2017, Simon was an experienced sailor with over 40 years dinghy experience and a Coastal Skipper licence.

He also successfully completed the Clipper Race Coxswain Certificate (CRCC) in February this year in anticipation of his challenge. Designed in collaboration with the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA), and the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) specifically for the Clipper Race, this involved an intensive two-week course, in addition to the four weeks of compulsory training that all Clipper Race crew must complete which concentrates on safety at sea.

Simon Speirs’s family was informed and yesterday (19 November) he was buried at sea. 

“Following medical advice and all considerations, Simon Speirs was given a sea burial at 0900 local time (0300 UTC) today during a service on board CV30 held by his Skipper Andy Burns and crew, supported by the Clipper Race office. As requested by Simon’s family, who were fully aware and came together to follow it at the same time back home, it was a Christian service, and the rest of the Clipper Race fleet also joined them in solidarity as it was carried out.  “, reads the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race statement.

Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Clipper Race death: GREAT Britain crewmember washed overboard

• Katy Stickland
• November 18, 2017

Simon Speirs was assisting with a head sail change when he was washed overboard from Clipper Race yacht, GREAT Britain, in the Southern Ocean

Simon Speirs. Credit: onEdition

A 60-year-old crewmember on board the Clipper Race yacht, GREAT Britain, has died after he was washed overboard in the Southern Ocean.

Simon Speirs, who was from Bristol, was assisting with a headsail change in 20 knot winds at 1414 local time today (18 November) when the incident happened.

He was recovered, but despite efforts to revive him, he was pronounced dead.

An investigation is now underway.

Clipper Race organisers have release the following statement:

‘Clipper Ventures is extremely saddened today to report the fatality of Simon Speirs, a crew member on board CV30, (GREAT Britain).

Simon, 60, from Bristol, UK, was on the foredeck assisting with a headsail change from Yankee 3 when he was washed overboard. Although he was clipped on with his safety tether, he became separated from the yacht in the Southern Ocean at approximately 0814UTC (1414 local time) in a rough sea state, in 20 knots of wind, gusting 40.

The team’s man overboard recovery training kicked into immediate effect and despite the rough conditions, Simon was recovered back on board by the Skipper and crew within 36 minutes, at which point CPR was immediately administered by three medically trained crew, which included a GP.

However Simon sadly never regained consciousness and was pronounced deceased at 0925UTC. The cause of death is unconfirmed at this time but thought to be by drowning.

All other crew are reported safe and are being supported remotely by the Race Office.

The incident occurred on Day 18 in Race 3 of the 13 stage Clipper Race. The fleet was racing from South Africa, Australia. The yacht, which was in sixth place, currently has approximately 1,500 miles left to its destination.

Clipper yacht, GREAT Britain. Credit: onEdition

At the time of the incident, Simon was clipped on, wearing his lifejacket, which included an AIS beacon, as well as approved waterproof ocean oilskins. A full investigation will now be carried out, as is standard practice, into the full details of the incident, including the reasons his safety tether did not keep him on board, in cooperation with the appropriate authorities.

A member of the crew since Race Start in the UK on August 20, 2017, Simon was a highly experienced sailor with over 40 years dinghy experience and a Coastal Skipper licence.

He also successfully completed the Clipper Race Coxswain Certificate (CRCC) in February this year in anticipation of his challenge. Designed in collaboration with the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA), and the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) specifically for the Clipper Race, this involved an intensive two-week course, in addition to the four weeks of compulsory training that all Clipper Race crew must complete which concentrates on safety at sea.

All Clipper Race crew, regardless of previous sailing experience, complete a compulsory and intensive four-week training programme before joining the race which covers all aspects of safety at sea, including repeated man overboard training drills, which are also repeated in race stopovers.

Simon’s next of kin have been informed and our deepest thoughts are with his family and all those who knew him.

The yacht is currently making best speed to Fremantle, Australia and we’ll provide further updates as we have them,’ concluded the statement.

More below…

Clipper Race victim

Clipper latest

The last edition of the Clipper Round the World Race saw two fatalities – the first in the 21 year history of the race.

Both deaths happened aboard the 70-foot CV21, IchorCoal.

Andrew Ashman, 49, died when he was accidentally struck by the boom.

The incident happened on 4 September, 2015. At the time, IchorCoal was 122 nautical miles west of Porto, Portugal, on passage to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

On 1 April 2016, Sarah Young, who was not clipped on, died after she was washed overboard from the yacht.

She was recovered after one hour and 20 minutes in the water, but never regained consciousness.

The subsequent report into the two deaths by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) acknowledged that Clipper Race organisers had been proactive in mitigating the risks.

Read the MAIB report here

But, it recommended that Clipper Ventures review and modify its onboard manning policy and shore-based management procedures.

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Clipper Race deaths – the full lessons learnt from official investigation

• Toby Hodges
• April 13, 2017

The UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch has released its findings into two fatal accidents aboard the Clipper Race yacht CV21, IchorCoal, during the 2015/2016 Clipper Round the World Race

In a 73-page report, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has now revealed its full findings into these deaths, which both occurred aboard the yacht IchorCoal.

The one common link that resulted from the thorough investigation into both fatalities is that the MAIB found a ‘lack of effective supervision featured in both accidents’. It has recommended to the Clipper organisers that future Clipper race yachts should be manned with a second employee or ‘seafarer’ with appropriate competence to support the current skippers who are the sole Clipper employees aboard.

Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents Capt. Steve Clinch said:

“While acknowledging that Clipper Ventures plc has already done much to address the safety issues identified during the MAIB’s investigations, I am nonetheless recommending that the company does even more to review and modify its yacht manning policy and shore based management procedures so that Clipper yacht skippers are effectively supported and, where appropriate, challenged to ensure safe working practices are always adhered to on board.”

The report also details many interesting areas including the recommendation for regular MOB drills, reducing the distance between guardrails (or using mesh between them), and the loss of strength caused to high modulus rope when knots or splices are used.

The publication of the MAIB report has been welcomed by Clipper Race Founder and Chairman, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who said:

“The MAIB has an important role in ensuring that the valuable learnings from accidents are shared with the industry to help improve safety. These two fatalities, resulting from two very different incidents, were the first in our long history and are tragic, especially as they were caused primarily through momentary lapses in applying basic safety training.

The MAIB’s conclusions and recommendations ( for full report click here ) are summarised on our final page – which you can click straight to below. We recommend reading at least this distillation of the report first – the extracts of narrative help paint a picture of the thorough investigation and set out the lessons learnt.

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Death on the High Seas: The 1979 Fastnet Race

Offshore sailing is one of the most challenging and exhilarating sports in the world, demanding skill, stamina, and courage from those who take part. For sailors, there is nothing quite like the feeling of being out on the open sea, with nothing but the wind and the waves to guide you.

But while offshore sailing can be a thrilling and rewarding experience, it is also one of the most dangerous, with sailors facing a range of hazards that can put their lives at risk. One of the most notorious incidents in the history of offshore sailing is the 1979 Fastnet Race disaster, a tragedy that shocked the sailing world and led to significant changes in the sport.

The Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Fastnet Race is usually held every two years. It’s been that way since 1925 and has always been held on the same 605 miles course.

Sailors set out from Cowes, an English Seaport on the Isle of Wight, and head to Fastnet Rock in the Atlantic , south of Ireland . They then back to Plymouth via the Isles of Scilly. It’s a famed test of some of the best sailors in the world.

The 1979 Fastnet race is notorious for something different though. On August 11, 1979, a storm with hurricane-force winds hit the yachts competing in the race, causing chaos and devastation.

75 boats capsized, 5 sank and 15 sailors lost their lives. Of the 303 yachts that started the race, only 86 finished. It was one of the deadliest yacht races in history and the events that unfolded that day shocked the sailing world to its very core.

A Dangerous Game

We often forget that mother nature is a harsh mistress. The disaster which occurred during the 1979 Fastnet race was caused by an extremely powerful storm that hit the boats as they were crossing the Irish Sea. Meteorologists hadn’t seen the scale of the storm coming, meaning even the most seasoned sailors competing were caught off guard.

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The storm came about due to the collision of a cold front with warm air from the Gulf Stream. This created a rapidly intensifying low-pressure system that generated hurricane-force winds and giant waves. The yacht crews were forced to do battle with winds of up to 70 knots (130km/h) and waves that reached 30 feet (9 meters).

This situation was further worsened by the design philosophy of the competing boats. Many crews emphasized speed over structural strength, taking advantage of new advances in fiberglass to build faster boats. But these new designs were untested in heavy seas, and were quickly overwhelmed by the weather.

The yachts caught at the storm’s center were the hardest hit. Many of these boats quickly capsized or were knocked over by the intense waves. Some yachts were dismasted entirely by the brutal winds. Sailors with decades of experience were thrown from their yachts and struggled to survive in the violent sea conditions.

Unfortunately, these extreme conditions made any kind of rescue operation incredibly difficult. If the yachts couldn’t survive the fierce winds and giant waves, what hopes did small rescue boats have?

Many of the yachts were already far from shore when the storm hit, meaning the rescue boats had to battle through the storm themselves to reach the stranded sailors. The rescue crews were at high risk and had to work tirelessly just to keep their own boats from capsizing. The last thing rescue efforts needed was the rescuers themselves needing rescue.

The limited communications technology of the time proved to be an added hurdle. Radio transmissions were often disrupted by the storm, making it difficult to coordinate rescue efforts and find all the boats that needed help.

Despite these challenges, rescue crews from the Royal Navy and other organizations worked tirelessly to save as many souls as possible. Royal Navy ships, RAF Nimrod jets, helicopters, lifeboats, and a Dutch warship, HNLMS Overijssel, all came to the rescue. While 15 sailors died, 125 were rescued by these combined efforts.

What Else Went Wrong?

Several factors beyond the sheer ferocity of the storm helped add to the tragic loss of life that day. A major factor was the lack of safety equipment and training at the time.

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Many of the boats weren’t carrying safety equipment that would be considered standard today. It was found that many of the yachts weren’t carrying life rafts, EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons), or storm sails. Making this even worse, many of the sailors hadn’t been trained in the use of the safety equipment they did have, or how to handle extreme conditions.

This lack of safety equipment would have been disastrous on its own. But when added to the fact many of the boats were far out to sea, it was a recipe for disaster. Rescue crews had to battle through the storm to reach the boats.

The fact many of the boats were not equipped with radios or other communication devices meant the rescue crews had an almost impossible task finding the crews. Imagine looking for a needle in a haystack that is being blown through an industrial fan.

Ultimately, the 1979 Fastnet Race led to a major rethinking of racing, risks, and prevention. It highlighted the need for better safety measures and the importance of accurate weather forecasting in offshore sailing.

The tragedy led to significant changes in the sport, including the development of better communications and navigation technologies, improved safety equipment, and more rigorous regulations. Thankfully these have all helped prevent a repeat of the disaster.

In the end, the legacy of the 1979 Fastnet Race disaster is a testament to the resilience and determination of the sailing community. While the tragedy was a devastating event, it also sparked a renewed commitment to safety and innovation and has helped to make offshore sailing a safer and more exciting sport for sailors around the world.

And through the tragedy much was learned about these new designs of boats. The hulls that made it through the storm safely, and the designs that came from them, are often still in service today.

Top Image: The 1979 Fastnet Race saw competitors trapped by a fierce Atlantic storm, and many sailors died out of the reach of rescuers. Source: artgubkin / Adobe Stock.

By Robbie Mitchell

Compton. N. 2022. 1979 Fastnet Race: The race that changed everything . Yachting Monthly. Available here: https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/cruising-life/1979-fastnet-race-the-race-the-changed-everything-86741

Mayers. A. 2007. Beyond Endurance: 300 Boats, 600 Miles, and One Deadly Storm . McClelland & Stewart.

Ward. N. 2007. Left for Dead: The Untold Story of the Tragic 1979 Fastnet Race . Bloomsbury Publishing.

Editor. 2023. 1979: Freak storm hits yacht race . BBC. Available here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/14/newsid_3886000/3886877.stm

Robbie Mitchell

I’m a graduate of History and Literature from The University of Manchester in England and a total history geek. Since a young age, I’ve been obsessed with history. The weirder the better. I spend my days working as a freelance writer researching the weird and wonderful. I firmly believe that history should be both fun and accessible. Read More

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• 4 April 2016

UK sailor who died in Clipper Race buried at sea

Tributes have been paid to Sarah Young who was swept away in strong winds while taking part in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. She was buried at sea yesterday.

• Clipper Round the World Yacht Race
• Sir Robin Knox-Johnston
• Hampshire & Isle of Wight

Live updates

Clipper race sailor sarah young buried at sea.

Global Race sailor Sarah Young has been buried at sea during a moving ceremony in the Pacific early this morning

British sailor killed in Round the World Yacht Race

A British sailor has died during the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

Sarah Young was swept overboard by a wave in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

It took place during the ninth race in the fourteen stage event.

With more, here's Richard Slee.

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Sir robin knox-johnston: "i want to know why this happened".

A round the world sailor who was swept to her death was not tethered to her yacht, it has emerged.

Sarah Young, 40, was the second crew member to have died on the vessel in the last six months. Andrew Ashman from Kent, died while taking part in the Clipper round the world yacht race last year.

The deaths are the first in the Clipper race in 20 years.

Her death is now being investigated by race organisers.

People tweet their tributes to sailor who died in Clipper Race

Very sad news about yachts woman Sarah Young #ClipperRace . Sailing around the world is such a great experience yet the sea has its own rules

So sad to hear about the tragic accident in the Clipper race. Thoughts and prayers with friends, family and cremates of Sarah Young.

Sad hearing of the death of British sailor Sarah Young during the Around the World Yacht Race. #ichorcoal

Very sad. An old school friend. RIP Sarah Young: Second Briton dies in Clipper Round The World Yacht Race https://t.co/urR4ZzI2Ec

A sad day. Bon voyage you crazy girl :( https://t.co/chyfIaGC3x

RYA pays tribute to British sailor

"The RYA is deeply saddened to learn of the tragic loss of crew member Sarah Young (40) whilst competing on the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

"Sarah was one of the crew aboard the IchorCoal boat (CV21) and her next of kin have been informed.

"Our thoughts and condolences are with Sarah’s family, friends, her fellow crew members and the wider Clipper family.

"A full investigation will be carried out, as is standard practice, into the incident in cooperation with the appropriate authorities.

"Race Officials are supporting the Skipper and crew through this tragic ordeal."

Sailor dies in Clipper Round the World race

A sailor has died taking part in the Clipper round the world race - which started in Gosport.

Sarah Young, 40, a company owner from London was knocked from her position by a wave.

She was not tethered onto the yacht at this time and was swept away in strong winds.

The Clipper Race had been on her bucket list for some years, and she said celebrating her 40th birthday just before setting sail was the perfect way to start the adventure.

Latest ITV News reports

Practical Boat Owner

• Digital edition

Lessons learned from the sinking of Morning Cloud 3

• Rupert Holmes
• September 2, 2024

50 years on, Rupert Holmes looks at what the Morning Cloud 3 tragedy taught us about heavy weather sailing

Morning Cloud 3 was designed by Sparkman & Stephens. Credit: Ajax News & Feature Service/Alamy Credit: Ajax News & Feature Service/Alamy

Half a century has passed since the loss of Ted Heath’s 45ft ocean racing yacht Morning Cloud 3 , which claimed the lives of Christopher Chadd and Nigel Cumming, two of the seven crew on board.

The yacht was severely damaged by two mammoth waves off the coast of West Sussex on 2 September 1974; the remaining crew abandoned ship before being rescued.

From the start, former UK Prime Minister Heath wanted to share as many details as possible about the tragic accident so the sailing community at large could learn from the experience.

The skipper of Morning Cloud 3 on that fateful voyage was Don Blewett, who wrote a long account, which was condensed and edited by yacht designer and journalist Julian Everitt for the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s magazine, Seahorse .

The salvaged remains of Morning Cloud 3 . Credit: Ajax News & Feature Service/Alamy

The sinking of Morning Cloud 3 made headlines around the globe given Heath had been Prime Minster until only seven months earlier, and had been leader of the Conservative Party for almost a decade.

It also raised plenty of concerns in the sailing world, as this was a state-of-the-art yacht built without regard to cost for one of the most successful teams in the sport.

Heath’s previous boats had won iconic offshore races including the Sydney Hobart Race, the Admiral’s Cup and the Round the Island Race.

It’s often asserted that older boats are stronger and more seaworthy than newer models.

However, even though there are now more boats on the water, events such as the loss of Morning Cloud 3 are rare today.

Ted Heath owned five offshore racing yachts, all called Morning Cloud. Credit: Getty

What can we learn from this incident? And what else have we learnt over the past 50 years?

It’s also important to note that the science behind big breaking waves and weather forecasting has changed significantly since 1974.

In addition, we now have a better understanding of the forces a yacht must withstand in severe conditions and far superior tools for structural engineering calculations.

Today’s epoxy resins are also far more effective than the glues available in the early 1970s.

Timeline to the Morning Cloud 3 tragedy

First, let’s look back to the events of 2 September 1974. Morning Cloud 3 , a year-old custom offshore racing yacht designed by Sparkman & Stephens and built by Clare Lallow in Cowes was being delivered from Burnham-on-Crouch on the East Coast to the Solent, a distance of around 160 miles.

This was at the end of Burnham Week, and Morning Cloud 3 wasn’t the only yacht making the same trip.

The Swan 41, Casse Tete left at a similar time but was slightly faster, reaching the relative shelter of the Solent before the strongest winds.

Just before Morning Cloud 3 ’s crew cast off from Burnham, the 1155 Shipping Forecast reported that Force 5-7 southerly winds were expected for sea areas Humber and Thames; shipping in Dover and Wight should expect Force 6-7 westerly winds, locally Gale 8.

It would therefore be a windy and uncomfortable voyage, but still well within the conditions that a well-found large yacht with an experienced and strong crew should be able to handle.

By nightfall, they’d dropped the headsail and the main was rolled down to around one-third of its full-size area, with 15 turns of the sail around the boom, since the breeze had picked up considerably.

Morning Cloud 3 was built at the famous Lallows yard on the Isle of Wight. Credit: Ajax News & Feature Service/Alamy Stock

“Although the wind was gusting Force 8 the boat was comfortable and everyone had some sleep,” Blewett reported.

The 0030 Shipping forecast on 2 September was for up to Gale 8, but by 0500 conditions had moderated to a Force 5-6 with occasional Force 7.

Nevertheless, the next forecast at 0600 on 2 September (18 hours after departure) was: southerly Force 6-8, veering south-west, perhaps Severe Gale 9 later. Rain at times. Moderate.

“I again briefly entertained the idea of putting into Dover,” wrote Blewett, “but we were sailing at 8½ knots on course, with a fair tide.”

By 0945 they were abeam of Dungeness then tacked offshore near the Royal Sovereign platform, a little to the east of Beachy Head, to gain some sea room.

The next leg to the Owers, south of Selsey Bill, wasn’t expected to be a full beat so they were not worried about being pushed inshore towards the lee shore of the Sussex coast.

The 1355 update, however, was more problematic, with a forecast of southerly winds Force 6 to Gale 8, locally Severe Gale 9, veering south-west. Periods of heavy rain. Moderate or poor.

“Although this sounded ominous there was little we could do about it,” wrote Blewett.

They later reduced sail to the same plan as the previous night, with the boat nicely balanced and making 4-5 knots.

Dover was the last viable port of refuge for Morning Cloud 3 in an onshore gale; skipper Don Blewett decided to continue. Credit: Getty

At around 2300, a few miles before reaching the Owers buoy, Morning Cloud 3 was struck by a big breaking wave that threw her down so violently that several laminated deck beams split and soon a foot of water was above the cabin sole.

Worse still, crew member Gardner Sorum was trailing astern, attached to the boat by his lifeline.

It was only after a head count five minutes later after Sorum had been hauled aboard, that it was realised Nigel Cumming was missing, his tether having broken.

They tacked back onto a reciprocal course in an attempt to find Cumming but failed to locate him in the dark and mountainous seas.

To compound matters, some crew had sustained injuries in the first knockdown , including Gerry Smith who had fractured one vertebrae and displaced three others.

After tacking back onto her original course, Morning Cloud 3 was struck by a second huge wave in a similar position to the first.

This one rolled her far enough to immerse the masthead in the sea.

Morning Cloud 3 was salvaged by a crew of a fishing vessel and bought into Shoreham. Credit: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty

Christopher Chadd, Heath’s 22-year-old godson, had just emerged on deck but was not clipped on at that point and did not hear the warning shouted to him.

Every effort was made to throw him a line or a lifebuoy but all failed before contact with him was lost.

At the same time the injury list was growing, with Blewett having a broken shoulder blade and three ribs, one of which had perforated his lung, Sorum had also broken three ribs and his right arm was broken in three places.

By now the boat was badly disabled, with further structural damage to the deck beams; a section of coaming and toerail had been ripped away.

The forehatch – an oversized opening designed to facilitate rapid sail changes – was also missing, as was the port cockpit locker lid and the main liferaft stowed inside.

With water now waist deep in the saloon, there appeared every chance the yacht would founder if it encountered a third similar wave.

Blewett made the order to abandon ship, using the remaining four-person liferaft.

Despite the conditions and the injured crew, this was not as difficult as might be expected given the conditions, as the yacht was so low in the water the raft was at a deck level.

The five men then spent several hours in the raft, before being blown ashore on the beach at Brighton.

The raft proved stable until they reached the surf, where it was rolled and the occupants fell through the canopy.

Somehow they managed to put two of the most badly injured crew back in the raft, while the others guided it towards the shore, where onlookers waded in to assist.

The body of Christopher Chadd was found by helicopter shortly afterwards and a few days later local fishing boats snagged the severely damaged wreck of Morning Cloud 3 in 40ft of water, a couple of miles off Shoreham. She was towed to the harbour.

The subsequent inquest absolved everyone concerned from responsibility for the loss of Morning Cloud 3 and the sad deaths of Christopher Chadd and Nigel Cumming.

Heath’s boat was not the only one to encounter difficulties in the same storm: the RNLI’ s magazine The Lifeboat reported 66 launches, 57 lives rescued, and 21 vessels saved in the 48 hours from noon on 1 September, making it one of the busiest 48-hours in the RNLI’s history.

1. Navigation analysis

Of course, much has changed since 1974. Today we know our exact position at all times thanks to GPS and other GNSS systems such as Russia’s Glonass and the EU’s Galileo.

Nevertheless, at the time an error of navigation , putting the boat further inshore and closer to the lee shore than expected, was not thought likely to have been a contributory factor.

Today, few of us would think about setting sail in challenging conditions without a chart plotter to hand. Credit: Theo Stocker

A comment from RORC (that doesn’t identify the writer) at the end of the Seahorse article says: “It is impossible to be quite exact as to the position of a yacht in a Force 9 gale. But from John Irving’s account and from Don Blewett’s it is highly improbable that the yacht was inshore.”

Nevertheless, this was written looking through the lens of the mid-1970s – when only basic tools were available for navigation.

Today, being out in similar conditions without GPS and a chart plotter would be almost unconscionable, and for many of us properly scary.

The RORC commentator notes: “However, there is a bulge in the 10-fathom line, and there is always confusion in the seas further west, and these may have combined with the gale blowing straight onto the lee shore in creating unique conditions. The immediate lesson to learn… is respect for the power of the sea and the advisability of keeping – as far as possible – in deep water.”

Adlard Coles also picked up on this in his classic work Heavy Weather Sailing : “Granted that Casse Tete made the same passage without mishap, I think both boats would have been safer had they tacked to seaward immediately as the Owers light buoy opened on the port bow. The disaster underlines the RORC recommendation given after the Channel Storm of 1956, that ‘it is better to be out at sea in open water away from land influences where… she has the best chance of coming through without serious trouble.’”

2. Freak waves

Nevertheless, Coles added a final point, writing: “It has been argued that extra high waves from the synchronisation of wave trains should not be called freaks as they arise from natural causes, but as all seas come from natural causes this appears somewhat pedantic. It is the shape and steepness of occasional freak (abnormal) waves as well as their size which can do the damage. The addition of the Morning Cloud disaster to other mishaps described in this book may cause anxiety but I must emphasise that such occurrences are extremely rare and their number is infinitesimal compared with the countless safe passages made by yachts all over the world.”

For years, the scientific community looked in vain for proof of these rogue waves that have been reported by mariners since time immemorial.

Everything changed on 1 January 1995, when a laser measuring device on the Draupner oil platform in the North Sea recorded a wave height of 25.6m (84ft).

Although more rogue waves are being recorded, the chances of experiencing one while sailing are still slim. Credit: Image Professionals GmbH/Alamy

Minor damage inflicted on the platform well above normal sea levels confirmed the reading of the laser sensor.

Five years later, the RRS Discovery , a British research vessel, encountered a significant wave height (the mean height of the largest third of waves) of 18.5m (61ft), with individual waves up to 29.1m (95ft).

A 2004 study using three weeks of radar images taken by European Space Agency satellites found 10 rogue waves, each of which was at least 25m (82ft) high.

As the technology required to measure wave height has improved and become cheaper, more rogue waves have been measured, including one of more than 21m (69ft) at the southern end of the Chanel du Four off the cost of Finisterre in north-western France, during Storm Ciaran on 2 November, last year.

Rogue waves remain sufficiently rare; Coles is correct to note that the overwhelming majority of boat owners will never meet one.

Of the three enormous breaking waves I’ve encountered in 85,000 miles of sailing, the first was deep in the Southern Ocean, on passage from Auckland to Cape Horn, the second roughly 130 miles west-north-west of A Coruña in Galicia, well offshore in 4,000m of water while heading for the Canary Islands.

The third was closer to home, 10 miles south of the Lizard Point on the return leg of the 2019 Azores and Back Race.

This was in an easterly gale, created by high and low pressure systems squeezed together in close proximity, with mean true wind speeds of around 40 knots.

Had I not been racing on a very well-prepared boat for ocean sailing – and with a chance of a very good result – we would have diverted south to Brittany and enjoyed fine weather in Camaret-sur-Mer, where there was never more than 20 knots of breeze while waiting for conditions in the English Channel to moderate.

3. Better modelling

Weather forecasting has improved enormously over the past five decades.

It’s unlikely the crews of Morning Cloud 3 and Casse Tete would have continued past Dover, the last viable port of refuge in an onshore gale on that passage, and may well not have even left Burnham, had they had access to the data we now have available for medium-term forecasts.

Medium -term weather forecasting is improving in accuracy all of the time. Credit: Getty

The availability of ever more powerful supercomputers, along with step changes in science, means that medium-term weather forecasting has become progressively more accurate at the rate of approximately one day per year.

Today’s six-day forecasts are, on average, more accurate than the 48-hour forecast at the time of the 1979 Fastnet Race storm in which 24 yachts were abandoned out of an initial fleet of 303 entries, with the loss of 15 lives.

There are two aspects to a forecast: what is going to happen and when it’s going to happen.

In many cases, our forecasts today are good at the former, but predicting the exact timing of a weather front four or five days in advance remains a tall order.

We should, therefore, not be surprised if a feature that was initially forecast to come through overnight a week in advance actually takes place during daylight hours, or vice versa.

4. The importance of sea state

When passage planning it’s easy to be fixated on wind strength, but as the loss of Morning Cloud 3 shows, sea state is often a more important factor.

Today we are fortunate in having mostly reliable predictions of swell and significant wave height, though it must always be remembered that headlands, tidal races and relative shallows can create dangerous breaking waves that are out of proportion to those in adjacent areas.

It’s important not to underestimate the potential value of these wave forecasts.

Tidal data is just as important when passage planning as wind strength. Credit: PredictWind

It’s tempting to assume the IMOCA 60s used for the Vendée Glob e solo round-the-world race can cope with everything thrown at them.

However, before the finish of the last edition, several competitors slowed down on the approach to the Bay of Biscay, waiting for a potentially dangerous sea state to subside.

Wave forecasts were also used in the recent Arkea Ultime Challenge – a non-stop solo race around the globe in giant 100ft trimarans – where a couple of competitors deliberately slowed their boats ahead of the approach to Cape Horn, again to give time for dangerous seas to moderate.

There are important lessons in this for the rest of us.

5. Wind factor

Gusts of wind are invariably more difficult to handle than steady conditions and are often responsible for inflicting damage to yachts.

Gust predictions are therefore another useful aspect of today’s weather forecasting when passage planning in borderline conditions.

Again it’s important to remember that headlands , valleys and relatively narrow channels, such as the Needles Channel, can cause the breeze to funnel, creating stronger winds in these areas than the raw model output predicts.

Headlands, valleys and narrow channels cause winds to funnel, increasing the wind strength. Credit: Richard Langdon

It should be no surprise that the accuracy with which numeric weather forecasting can model the winds around geographical features is a function of the model’s resolution.

The UK MetOffice UKV (2km grid size) and French Arome (1.25km or 2.5km grid) are therefore better in this respect than the 9km ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) and 13km GFS (Global Forecast System) models.

However, even then the smallest geographic feature that can be modelled accurately is roughly five times the grid size.

That’s why forecasts with direct input from experienced meteorologists, such as the UK’s Inshore Waters and Shipping Forecasts, can still add significantly to our understanding of the conditions that can be expected.

6. Sail configuration

Questions were also raised at the time as to whether sailing with only a deep reefed mainsail, and no headsail, placed Morning Cloud 3 at greater risk of being overwhelmed by a big breaking wave.

There’s certainly a body of evidence for keeping a useful amount of speed on when sailing downwind in big seas, which makes the boat more responsive to the helm and therefore easier to keep stern-to the largest waves.

But Morning Cloud 3 was close reaching at the time and Blewett reported the boat was comfortable and well balanced under that sail plan.

So seems very unlikely that this was a contributory factor and I’ve not found mention of it in the contemporary literature.

There has been much debate as to whether the crew of Morning Cloud 3 would have been better using a headsail, rather than a deep reefed main. Credit: Richard Langdon

The 1979 Fastnet Race inquiry report canvassed all competitors involved to learn as much as possible from this disaster.

“No magic formula for guaranteeing survival emerges from the experiences of those who were caught in the storm,” the report states.

“There is, however, an inference that active rather than passive tactics were successful and those who were able to maintain some speed and directional control fared better.”

This report also revealed that several competitors experienced breaking waves coming from a very different angle to the rest, which chimes with my own experience in the North Atlantic.

These waves have the potential to cause a lot more damage than those more aligned with the main wave train.

Ensuring the crew can remain down below as much as possible in heavy weather is one way to mitigate risk. Credit: Group V team/PPL/GGR

Any time there’s potential for big breaking waves, anyone in the cockpit could be at risk.

Two of the competitors who died in the 1979 Fastnet were lost after being trapped in the cockpit of an inverted yacht.

In the mid-1980s the US Coast Guard commissioned a study using model and full-scale testing to investigate whether drogues could be used to prevent the capsize of yachts in breaking waves.

The report published in May 1987 concluded that ‘in many and possibly most cases’ a properly engineered drogue deployed from the stern of a fin keel sailing yacht can prevent capsize in breaking seas.

Don Jordan was one of the authors and the Jordan Series Drogue he subsequently developed has been successfully used by many ocean voyagers, including Jeanne Socrates.

In addition to reducing the risk of capsize, a yacht lying to a series drogue doesn’t need to be actively steered, so all the crew can be safely below decks.

One of the less reported aspects of the 1979 Fastnet Race storm is that a shocking 51 yachts had one or more crew members washed overboard, sometimes on more than one occasion, leading to the conclusion that: ‘it was obviously sensible to reduce the number on deck, and therefore at risk, to the minimum’.

7. Calculated risk

While much has changed since the loss of Morning Cloud 3 , many of the fundamentals remain the same.

It’s still imperative to get the best weather forecasts available and take time to study and understand them thoroughly.

Equally avoid lee shores, tidal races and shoal areas in heavy weather.

Sliding hatches should be able to be locked both inside and outside the cabin. Credit: Graham Snook/YM

Washboards should always be at hand to prevent solid water from entering the accommodation areas, and there should be a means of securing the sliding hatch shut that can be operated from both inside and outside the cabin.

This is a requirement for offshore racing, yet many cruising yachts do not have this safety feature.

The loss of Christopher Chadd also highlights the importance of clipping on before going on deck while your feet are still firmly planted on the cabin floor.

Triple-hook lifelines mean you can remain attached to the boat at all times. Credit: Katy Stickland

Equipment has also improved; today’s triple-hook lifelines ensure you can remain attached to the boat at all times, including when moving one tether from a cockpit strong point to a jackstay on deck.

Both the loss of Morning Cloud 3 and the 1979 Fastnet Race storm also revealed deficiencies in safety gear ranging from safety harnesses to flares and liferafts.

These have long since been addressed, with the result that the equipment we have today is far more reliable, even in extreme circumstances.

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Yacht race death may be due to 'flaw' with safety hook - investigators

Simon Speirs was the third Briton to be killed in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in the last two years.

By Joe Tidy, News Correspondent

Friday 12 January 2018 17:44, UK

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has issued a safety warning following the death of a participant in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

The MAIB found Simon Speirs may have died because of a potential flaw with a commonly-used safety hook.

The 60-year-old man was taking part in the year-long sailing race as a crew member with team Great Britain.

He lost his life in November after being washed overboard in the Indian Ocean, and was the third Briton to die competing in the event in the last two years.

The MAIB has issued a safety bulletin after a preliminary investigation revealed what happened.

The report said: "A safety issue identified during the investigation was that the hook on the end of Mr Speirs’ tether had become caught under a deck cleat, resulting in a lateral loading that was sufficient to cause the hook to distort and eventually release."

The hook used is said to be certified and an international standard across the sailing world. It is designed to withstand pressures of over one ton when loaded longitudinally.

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The urgent advice to sailors is: "To prevent the strength of a safety harness tether becoming compromised in-service due to lateral loading on the tether hook, the method used to anchor the end of the tether to the vessel should be arranged to ensure that the tether hook cannot become entangled with deck fittings or other equipment."

Mr Speirs was given a sea burial at his family's request, with a service led by his skipper.

Organisers call the Clipper Race "one of the biggest challenges of the natural world and an endurance test like no other".

Previous sailing experience is not required to enter the race but each of the 12 competing yachts has a fully qualified skipper on board.

The year-long event costs £49,000 to enter and is the brainchild of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo non-stop around the world.

London company director Sarah Young, 40, died during the race in 2016 after falling overboard while sailing from China to Seattle.

And in 2015, Andrew Ashman, 49, from Orpington in Kent, died after being hit by a rope while competing in the event.

Following Mr Speirs' death, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston told Sky News he would cooperate fully with the MAIB which will publish its full report later this year.

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Come hell & high water: Forty years on from Britain's Fastnet Race disaster that left 19 yachtsmen dead amid 60ft waves, the survivors relive every shattering moment

By Neil Tweedie for the Daily Mail

Published: 20:37 EDT, 16 August 2019 | Updated: 11:05 EDT, 17 August 2019

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Eight men huddle inside a covered life raft, cartwheeling in a mountainous night-time sea. Outside, the shrieking wind of a Force 10 storm whips the ocean into ever-greater fury — vast towering blocks of water forming and crashing down in relentless sequence.

The flimsy craft flips over again and again as wave after wave falls upon it, until at last it can take no more. Suddenly, it splits, spilling its exhausted and battered human cargo into the raging water.

Six men manage to grab hold of its still-inflated remnants but two lose their grip. They hover nearby for an eternity as their crewmates, summoning their last reserves of strength, try to reach them. One appears to swim towards his beckoning friends but the other floats lifelessly in the water, mercifully beyond caring.

Rugged seas: Trying to sail with a tiny storm job. Derek Morland does not dwell on this scene in ordinary life. But it is always there, stowed in the back of his mind, his abiding memory of the 1979 Fastnet disaster, whose 40th anniversary fell this week

In a moment, both men slip from view into the darkness, consumed by the foaming tumult, never to be seen alive again.

Derek Morland does not dwell on this scene in ordinary life. But it is always there, stowed in the back of his mind, his abiding memory of the 1979 Fastnet disaster, whose 40th anniversary fell this week.

Fifteen yachtsmen taking part in the fabled ocean race — and four more in a cruising yacht following the field — lost their lives when a depression barrelling in from the Atlantic unexpectedly deepened into a full-blown Force 10 storm, with winds at times gusting to Force 12, hurricane strength.

The yacht Ariadne drifting and dismasted during the Fastnet yacht race, on August 15, 1979. Fifteen yachtsmen taking part in the fabled ocean race — and four more in a cruising yacht following the field — lost their lives when a depression barrelling in from the Atlantic unexpectedly deepened into a full-blown Force 10 storm

Around 300 yachts, crewed by some 2,500 people, were assaulted by raging seas never encountered during such an event. Five vessels sank and 19 were abandoned — and more than 100 suffered capsizes, knock-downs, broken masts and rudders as the storm tore through an armada strung out between Land's End and the Fastnet Rock, Ireland's most southerly point. Of the 303 entrants, 194 retired and only 85 completed the terrible race.

'We couldn't reach them. We lost sight of them,' Mr Morland says of his friends who died. 'I was 24. It's part of me — always will be.'

He sees no need to garnish tragedy with a public outpouring of emotion. He knows what it means — to him and the relatives of the two lost men. And the loved ones of the third member of the eight-man crew of the Essex-based racing yacht Trophy who died that night.

'I thought I was going to drown, as simple as that. We capsized four times in the raft, and on the fourth it split.

Around 300 yachts, crewed by some 2,500 people, were assaulted by raging seas never encountered during such an event (pictured, an upturned life raft 50 miles north west of Land's End)

'I thought we were next after three of us had died but you can be frightened for only so long. In the end, we were just waiting for it. If we hadn't been picked up, we would have gone down with hypothermia. With the waves hitting you for so long it's so tiring — you just go to sleep.'

The young aerospace engineer and amateur sailor had pretended to be sick to get time off work for the race. Now, here he was, clinging to a shredded life raft, an ordeal that would last ten hours, or so he thinks. Time dissolves when every minute is potentially your last. His life did not flash before his eyes; there was no great sorrow that it was about to be cruelly cut short. Just the animal imperative to survive.

Three days earlier, on Saturday, August 11, he and the crew of the 37ft Trophy had been in high spirits, stowing supplies as they contemplated the 600-mile race starting that day.

The Fastnet is a test of seamanship, taking competitors from the start line at Cowes on the Isle of Wight, the spiritual home of British yachting, westward through the English Channel and out in the volatile waters of the Western Approaches — the open Atlantic.

Competitors must round the Fastnet, an exposed outcrop topped by its lonely lighthouse, before retracing the route to the finishing line in Plymouth. The race starts at the end of Cowes Week, highlight of the social and yachting calendar.

Offshore racing is not everyone's idea of recreation. Lashed by spray and rain, buffeted by waves, the yachtsman must learn to grab sleep in between watches while living in a cramped space at an angle of perhaps 45 degrees. On racing boats, bathroom facilities are rudimentary, privacy non-existent.

The pay-off is a life shorn of modern cares, an escape from the mundane, a rush of freedom in the face of unbridled nature, and vaulting skyscapes unmatched on dry land. A true sense of camaraderie, too, in happy crews.

The Fastnet is a test of seamanship, taking competitors from the start line at Cowes on the Isle of Wight, the spiritual home of British yachting, westward through the English Channel and out in the volatile waters of the open Atlantic. Pictured: A winchman is lowered from a Royal Naval helicoptor onto the yacht Grimalkin during the 1979 disaster

Trophy was owned and skippered by a London publican called Alan Bartlett. His crew consisted of Derek Morland, Robin Bowyer, a sailing instructor and expert navigator, Peter Everson, Simon Fleming, Richard Mann, John Puxley and Russell Smith.

Like many boats of her size in that era she had no VHF radio. Navigation relied on Bowyer's skill — which was considerable — and plotting using radio direction-finding. GPS lay far into the future. When she at last ventured into the Western Approaches, Trophy would be on her own.

As she headed along the English South Coast on Sunday, August 12, BBC radio weather reports suggested an approaching Force 8 gale, with winds of about 45 knots. This was within the crew's comfort zone. But far away, nemesis was brewing.

Born the previous week over the Midwest of America, a depression later labelled Low Y by Britain's Met Office — colourful storm names being a thing of the future — began its destructive journey eastward.

Causing damage in New England, it killed a woman in New York's Central Park (a fallen tree branch) before heading out across the Atlantic. Small and fast-moving, it was hard to track — weather satellites being fewer in number and less capable then.

Monday dawned fair with smooth seas, turning humid in the afternoon. But Peter Whipp, seasoned skipper of the yacht Magic, was uneasy. 'It was kind of eerie,' he remembered. 'I remember charging up the batteries and lashing everything down.'

Paul Warzega (left) is reunited with wife Kari after the disastrous Fastnet Race

As the day wore on the depression slowed and deepened, the sky turning a sinister pink. The Radio 4 shipping forecast was now suggesting Force 9. The flotilla was out in the Approaches, exposed with no port to run to. It was only at 11pm that the forecast warned of the full threat posed by Low Y, with winds expected to rise to storm Force 10, meaning 55 knots. The wolf had thrown off its sheep's clothing.

Racing through the dark, yacht helmsmen found themselves surfing down increasingly high waves. Exhilarating at first, but then, as Monday turned to Tuesday, reality set in. The armada was at maximum vulnerability, with many boats unable to communicate with the outside world. Flare guns were the only way for some to register distress.

'It is quite amazing how soon you find yourself alone once you get out into the Approaches,' says Mr Morland. 'You see the odd sail on the horizon — you realise how big the ocean is. The visible horizon at deck height on a yacht might be three miles.

'At first, it was great. It was nice to get out of sight of land. We were surfing down waves with the storm jib up. We needed two guys on the helm to hold it and stay on track. We were thoroughly enjoying ourselves, but a couple of the guys were getting seasick. Robin always got seasick. I often wondered how he managed to navigate so well with a bucket next to him.'

As the night wore on, exhilaration turned to terror. Crews found themselves pitched into individual battles with the elements as huge waves up to 60ft high enveloped their boats — not from one direction but all directions. The sea turned from black to white as its violence increased, great white caps towering over the boats below.

Dramas were being played out in the dark as men and women died, individual tragedies endured by terrified crews of isolated and crippled boats. Crewmen not harnessed to the deck were swept away, while those who were attached found themselves trapped underwater until their capsized yachts righted.

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The 30ft yacht Grimalkin was in the eye of the storm. Battered by soaring waves, she repeatedly capsized, and at one point pitchpoled — somersaulting stern over bow as a giant wave sent her careering into a trough. Her skipper, already injured by flying objects below (even secure storage spaces were lacking on many vessels) was swept to his death.

Three men, including the skipper's son, took to the boat's life raft believing their two remaining crewmates to be dead or fatally incapacitated. One of two, Gerry Winks, would indeed die that night.

But his young crewmate Nick Ward, an epileptic, would survive, spending hours in the exposed open cockpit of the helpless, dismasted boat with a dead friend as his sole companion, as the nightmarish storm raged throughout the night and into the next day.

The trimaran Bucks Fizz, following the race for fun, would be lost with all hands — four people. Morning Cloud, owned and skippered by former Prime Minister Ted Heath, also suffered a knock-down but survived to complete the race. Trophy was weathering the storm, until fortune intervened: a red distress flare fired from the nearby dismasted yacht Salamander. 'If we had carried on sailing, I think we would have been fine and reached the Fastnet,' says Morland. 'But then we saw the flare — that was when our problems started.'

Ted Turner, Skipper of the American Yacht Tenacious, holds the US flag and gives the thumbs up after learning he won the race

Approaching the stricken boat, Trophy asked if anyone had been swept overboard. The answer was negative. Bartlett and his crew struck sail and used the engine to stand by the stricken yacht.

'I'm not sure, when I think about it, what we thought we could do, aside from offering moral support,' says Morland.

'But equally, if a red flare goes up you can't ignore it — even though a lot of boats did ignore them because there was nothing they could do. And they were right.'

Now stationary, Trophy was herself vulnerable. A huge wave loomed out of the night and struck her on the bow, sending her plummeting backwards into a trough and breaking the rudder. Another monster soon followed. Bartlett, hooked on, was thrown into the sea as the yacht turned turtle.

Derek Morland, snatching sleep below, awoke to a world turned upside down. When the yacht righted, he went on deck to find his skipper hanging from the side. As he and some crew members helped get Bartlett back on board, others decided to take to the tethered life raft, which had been ejected and inflated by the impact of the wave.

The boat had the rig over the side; it was hitting the hull. And now the life raft had deployed, it was a case of use it or lose it. Morland and his crewmates clambered into the raft. It was, he says with the benefit of hindsight, a 'dumb' decision — Trophy would survive to be salvaged.

Experience shows that taking to a life raft is advisable only when the parent boat is in imminent danger of sinking — the 'boat is the best lifeboat' as the saying goes. So it was that the crew of the Trophy came to be in the raft as it tore in two.

Peter Everson and John Puxley were the first to die, swept away as the raft disintegrated. Robin Bowyer would die later of hypothermia, his body lashed to the damaged raft. Simon Fleming was holding on to the other half of the raft and disappeared into the night when it finally tore away completely. Amazingly, he would survive, plucked from the sea by a Royal Navy Sea King.

Early on Tuesday morning, as red distress flares dotted the skies above the stricken fleet and Mayday calls clogged the airwaves, a huge air-sea rescue swung into operation.

Royal Navy (pictured) and RAF Sea King, Wessex and Lynx helicopter crews were scrambled at first light, joined by Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft roaring down from Scotland

Royal Navy and RAF Sea King, Wessex and Lynx helicopter crews were scrambled at first light, joined by Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft roaring down from Scotland. British, Irish and Dutch warships converged on the scene with civilian vessels as 14 lifeboats launched from RNLI stations in Ireland and Cornwall. Some 4,000 people participated in the effort.

The helicopters strained fuel reserves to the limit as they scoured the ocean, remaining aloft for as long as four hours at a time. Winchmen performed hair-raising feats as they plucked victims from life rafts and stricken boats strewn with collapsed rigging that could snag their lines. Some 140 people were rescued by helicopters and other vessels.

Salvation for Derek Morland and the three remaining survivors appeared in the form of a low-flying RAF Nimrod patrol aircraft. The same Sea King that saved Fleming hoisted Bartlett on board but, critically short of fuel, had to depart. Derek and his companions were soon rescued, however, by the Dutch destroyer HNLMS Overijssel, taking part in the biggest rescue operation in British waters in peacetime.

Returning to land, Derek visited John Puxley's widow Sylvia and her two children.

'Her daughter came up to me and said: 'When is daddy coming home?' I didn't know what to say. It was terrible.'

Forty years on, at the age of 64, Derek Morland still sails, in the Solent at weekends. His wife, whom he met shortly after the disaster, sails with him; his younger son is also a keen sailor.

The same Sea King that saved Fleming hoisted Bartlett on board but, critically short of fuel, had to depart. Derek and his companions were soon rescued, however, by the Dutch destroyer HNLMS Overijssel (pictured, Dutch servicemen as two coffins are unloaded at Plymouth), taking part in the biggest rescue operation in British waters in peacetime

Many lessons were learned in the wake of the Fastnet disaster. Equipment and training got better and, over time, communications, navigation aids and satellite weather monitoring have improved out of all recognition. But the sea can still be cruel, when the mood takes it.

'I never dream about it — that night — but it's always with me,' says Derek Morland. 'Simon Fleming sent me a text this week: 'Forty years ago today'.

In the grounds of Holy Trinity Church, Cowes, stands a memorial to the dead of that terrible storm. In front of it stand stones hewn from the Fastnet Rock, the destination so many never reached. 

Share or comment on this article: Forty years on from Britain's Fastnet Race disaster that left 19 yachtsmen dead amid 60ft waves

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Bayesian yacht sinking: Horror of those trapped in bedrooms described by former captain

LIVE – Updated at 11:14

A former captain of the Bayesian has described the terrifying obstacles facing those trapped in the cabins as the Bayesian superyacht overturned killing seven.

Stephen Edwards, who captained the Bayesian for five years until 2020, told The Telegraph : “Those who stayed curled up in bed were in the worst situation.

“The storm hit hard, placing them in the melee of flying furniture, glass and other items,” he said adding he had spoken to traumatised crew members.

“Inside the cabins, the only way to think of this is that people were lying in their beds one minute, and the next the room was on its side, totally dark, with the door now either in the floor or in the ceiling above.”

It came as divers race to retrieve Mike Lynch’s personal hard drives locked in a safe on the ocean floor, according to reports.

Italian newspaper la Repubblica reported that the tech billionaire, whose clients included MI5, the NSA and the Israeli secret service, didn’t trust confidential documents on the cloud and kept two encrypted hard drives in a safe which now lies 49 metres below sea level.

Italian navy recover video equipment

• Two encrypted hard drives of Mike Lynch remain 49m underwater locked in safe - report

Professor fears more deaths by ‘medicanes’ after Bayesian tragedy

Mike lynch’s yacht was ‘unsinkable’, says boss of company who built boat.

• Seven key unanswered questions around the sinking of the Bayesian

Mike Lynch net worth: How the billionaire made his money

Mike Lynch was frequently described as the Bill Gates of Britain for founding Autonomy – one of the biggest software firms on the planet

Former captain describes horror of those trapped in cabins

Stephen Edwards, who captained the Bayesian for five years until 2020, told the Telegraph that he had spoken to crew members onboard during the sinking who recounted the horrors facing those onboard.

He said: “The storm hit hard, placing them in the melee of flying furniture, glass and other items.

“Some had made it to the saloon at this point and they are the ones who survived, as their route outside would have been a little clearer.

“Inside the cabins, the only way to think of this is that people were lying in their beds one minute, and the next the room was on its side, totally dark, with the door now either in the floor or in the ceiling above.

“Cabinets crashed open as the catches were weak, resulting in glassware and crockery falling out. I’m told almost all the furniture broke loose inside the boat.”

Mike Lynch’s wife, along with 14 others, survived and were rescued by a nearby vessel that was unscathed.

Italian Navy divers have recovered video surveillance equipment from the wreckage of billionaire Mike Lynch’s Bayesian superyacht that could explain how it sank.

The British tech tycoon’s boat had been moored near the port of Porticello on 19 August when it sank during the early hours of the morning. It is now lying 50m below the surface.

Among those killed were Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, who had been due to begin studying at Oxford University in September, as well as four other family friends and associates.

Divers hunting for clues on how Mike Lynch’s superyacht sank make discovery

What happens now weeks after tragic sinking?

Prosecutors are investigating the captain , New Zealander James Cutfield, and two crew members for possible responsibility in connection with the sinking.

Mr Cutfield is under investigation for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck charges. Tim Parker Eaton — the engineer who was in charge of securing the yacht’s engine room — and sailor Matthew Griffith — who was on watch duty on the night of the disaster — are now under investigation for the same possible charges, their lawyer said.

Chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, who is heading the investigation, has said his team will consider each possible element of responsibility including those of the captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision and the yacht’s manufacturer.

Investigators are focusing on how a sailing vessel deemed “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed. They added raising the Bayesian and examining the yacht for evidence would provide key elements to the investigation.

Maritime director of western Sicily, Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda of the coastguard, could not confirm how long it would take to retrieve the shipwreck of the sunken yacht, adding recovering the fuel tanks was a “priority for us because it has environmental knock-on effects”.

Special forces divers and robots search Mike Lynch’s sunken Bayesian yacht for clues

Specialist military divers are currently searching the sunken Bayesian yacht for clues as to why it sunk in a freak storm off the coast of Siciliy, killing seven passengers.

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s boat had been moored near the port of Porticello on 19 August when it sank during the early hours of the morning, and is now lying 50 metres below the surface of the water.

About six divers from the Italian navy ’s Comsubin unit are investigating the superyacht for electronic equipment, which includes data storage and CCTV and to see if doors were left open during the storm.

Holly Evans reports:

Chris Morvillo and wife drowned aboard Bayesian

Italian authorities said the first post-mortem examinations on the victims had been carried out on US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda . The results confirmed that the pair had drowned.

Morvillo was a partner at Clifford Chance, a white-collar law firm. He previously worked as a federal prosecutor who investigated the September 11 terror attacks, according to the New York Post .

Investigators hope to recover data on sinking of Bayesian

Navy divers recovered hard drives of the video surveillance system on board the Bayesian hopefully revealing the final moments before the tragic sinking of the superyacht.

In the engine room there were the hard disks that catalogued the parameters regarding the electric and thermal propulsion.

“We hope to be able to read something from the media”, an investigator told La Repubblica. They added “Unfortunately they are standard models that are not resistant to water and pressure”.

There was no black box on board the 700-tonne sailing vessel that sank in minutes. It was not required to have one, as it was not a commercial cruise ship.

'Mike Lynch files may be target for hostile spy agencies’

Divers are searching the sea floor for Mike Lynch’s high-tech hard drives before they can fall into enemy hands reports La Repubblica - Italy’s second-biggest newspaper.

Sources told the paper the disks held: “the great digital archive of the IT entrepreneur whose clients included the British MI5, the American NSA and the Israeli services”.

The Italian newspaper said the “super drives” are protected by “cutting-edge encryption”.

The Sun reported the drives now could be a target for the hostile spy agencies of Russia, China, and Iran as they seek to steal valuable secrets.

Autopsies reveal cause of death of US lawyer and wife onboard Mike Lynch’s superyacht

Autopsies have been carried out on a couple who drowned on Mike Lynch’s superyacht when it sank off the coast of Sicily last month.

Seven lives were lost when the British-flagged boat, called the Bayesian, went down in a freak storm while anchored near the Sicilian capital of Palermo on 19 August.

Darktrace to be taken over after Mike Lynch’s death

Darktrace shares are set to stop trading publicly at the end of September, after the company set a timetable for its blockbuster private equity takeover to be completed.

The private equity group Thoma Bravo struck an almost 5.31 billion dollar (£4.3 billion) deal to buy Darktrace in April.

Darktrace AI interrupts in-progress cyber-attacks in seconds, including ransomware, email phishing, and threats to cloud environments.

It marks one of the biggest take-private deals for a London-listed company in recent years, and will see Darktrace leave the FTSE 100 on October 1.

Poppy Gustafsson helped to set up the Cambridge-based company in 2013 alongside Autonomy founder Mike Lynch.

Mr Lynch, and his daughter Hannah, were among seven people to die after the Bayesian superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily last month.

Bodies flown back to UK on private planes - report

The bodies of Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah, 18, and the other victims of the Bayesian disaster have been flown back to their families after their post-mortems, according to reports.

They were repatriated on private planes, with their private funerals expected to be held over the coming days, Italian media reports.

The British tech tycoon ’s boat had been moored near the port of Porticello on 19 August when it sank during the early hours of the morning . It is now lying 50m below the surface.

Among those killed were Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, who had been due to begin studying at Oxford University in September, as well as four other family friends and associates .

Jonathan Bloomer, the international chairman of Morgan Stanley Bank; his wife Judith, a psychotherapist; Christopher Morvillo, a US lawyer; and his wife Neda, a jewellery designer also died in the sinking.

Also killed was the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, whose body was recovered floating near the wreckage.

Four victims found with carbon dioxide in lungs

Tech billionaire Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah, 18, and five other people died when the Bayesian went down in a downburst, which is similar to a small tornado.

Chef Recaldo Thomas, Jonathan Bloomer, the Morgan Stanley International bank chairman, his wife Judy, and Chris Morvillo, a Clifford Chance lawyer, and his wife Neda, were the other victims of the August 19 tragedy.

Four of the victims are feared to have suffocated to death in air bubbles that filled with carbon dioxide, according to their autopsies raising the frightening possibility that they may have been conscious after the yacht sank, according to Italian news outlet La Republica.

Fifteen people, including Angela Bacares, Lynch’s wife, survived when they were rescued by a nearby yacht.

Giovanni Costantino, the chief executive of the Italian Sea Group, said there are no flaws with the design and construction of the Bayesian and it is “one of the safest boats in the world”.

The Bayesian, a 184-ft superyacht carrying 22 passengers and crew, was anchored off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, when it disappeared beneath the waves in a matter of minutes after a freak tornado struck.

“The ship sank because it took on water, from where investigators will have to say,” Mr Costantino told television news programme TG1.

He suggested that the sinking was down to a series of human errors.

The CEO said that had the crew shut all doors and hatches, turned on the engine, lifted the anchor, lowered the keel and turned the yacht to face the wind, they would have suffered “zero damage”.

He added that data showed it took 16 minutes from when the wind began for it to sink.

Cartoisio said the tragedy will be even more painful if the sinking was caused by “behaviours that were not aligned to the responsibilities that everyone needs to take in shipping”.

Bodies of Mike Lynch and daughter Hannah flown back to families after Bayesian superyacht sinking

The bodies of those who died after the billionaire Mike Lynch’s Bayesian superyacht sunk off the coast of Sicily have been flown back to their families by private jet.

Italian publication Giornale di Sicilia reported post-mortem examinations were completed at a Palermo hospital and the bodies have now been returned.

My colleague Tom Watling reports:

Bodies of Mike Lynch and daughter flown back to UK after Bayesian tragedy

Captain gives his account of tragic sinking

Captain James Cutfield previously gave his terrifying account before invoking his right to remain silent.

According to Correire, he told prosecutors: “Seaman Griffiths came to wake me up and told me that there were 20 knots of wind.

“I looked at the instruments and indeed that was the case. I went out immediately and asked them to warn everyone because I didn’t like the situation.”

He said the Bayesian tilted 45 degrees “and remained like that for a bit and then suddenly fell to the right.

“We were catapulted into the sea”.

Seaman Matthew Griffiths, 22, said: “We somehow climbed back up to the bridge and tried to form a human chain to save those who managed to reach that gap from the accommodation deck ... they were struggling on the walls because the boat was lying in the water.

“The first in the chain was the captain who stretched down. He helped everyone, the ladies, the mother with the little girl ... But we were sinking and unfortunately some didn’t make it .”

Mr Griffiths joins fellow Brit Tim Parker-Eaton, 56, and Kiwi skipper James Cutfield, 51, on the official list of those being formally investigated for shipwreck and multiple manslaughter.

Being investigated does not equate to being charged and is a procedural step.

Professor Yoav Yair, Dean of the School of Sustainability at Reichman University in Israel, told the Mirror that storms dubbed ‘medicanes’ - Mediterranean hurricanes - could cause similar sinkings like the Bayesian superyacht.

He said: “It is not a matter of if this (the Bayesian disaster) will happen again, but rather it’s when and where.

“In the last couple of years we have seen medicanes - which are a new phenomena. These are hurricane-like storms that pack a lot of energy, and create flash flooding, torrential rains, lightning, hail and severe sustained winds. The 2023 “Daniel” medicane destroyed Libya and caused over 30,000 deaths there.

“The sea surface temperature has risen globally and in the Med as well, charging the atmosphere with increased fluxes of water vapor, which means a higher potential for massive storms.”