On August 11, 1979, 303 yachts left Cowes for the Fastnet Race, the 605 nautical mile finale of the Admiral’s Cup series, rounding Fastnet Rock off southern Ireland and finishing at Plymouth. The BBC shipping forecast called for southwesterly force four to five, perhaps six or seven. Instead a depression labeled Low Y underwent explosive cyclogenesis on August 13, bottoming at 979 hectopascals over Wexford by the 14th. The Met Office assessed force 10, crews logged force 11, and the inquiry reported 60 knot winds. The deadliest element was the sea: a rapid wind shift sent new waves across the old swell, building steep pyramidal waves around 50 feet that dropped boats off their faces, snapped rigs, and rolled yachts through 360 degrees. Twenty four boats were abandoned, at least 75 capsized, and five sank.

More than 4,000 people joined the largest peacetime rescue of its kind, saving 136 sailors from about 80 vessels in distress. HMS Broadsword coordinated with RAF Nimrods, and 15 Navy helicopters from Culdrose and Prestwick flew over 100 hours. The Dutch HNLMS Overijssel, the Irish LÉ Deirdre, and USS Holland helped, the RORC escort yacht Morningtown relayed positions by VHF, and RNLI lifeboats stayed out up to 75 hours. At the front, Peter Blake’s Condor of Bermuda flew a spinnaker in the gale to take line honors, cutting nearly eight hours off the record, while Ted Turner’s Tenacious won on handicap. Fifteen competitors died, along with six people aboard two observer yachts, four of them from Buck’s Fizz, for 21 in all.

• Only 86 of the 303 starters finished the race.
• Lin Pardey noted that none of the yachts that hove to were capsized or seriously damaged, but the inquiry did not endorse heaving to as a universal answer.
• John Rousmaniere wrote that there is nothing always about a storm at sea except its danger.
• Jim Kilroy of Kialoa raced on with broken ribs against Condor.
• A Cowes memorial lists 19 names, and the Cape Clear Island memorial was updated in 2015 to include all 21.