Legendary Fastnet yacht race in chaos as brutal 12ft waves and 46mph gales sink £130,000 vessel and spark multiple rescue missions

• Rolex Fastnet Race off Isle of Wight saw 142 of 430 yachts retire in bad weather
• One boat sank, four lost their masts and 30 were rescued by emergency services

A famous yacht race was left in chaos after brutal 12ft waves and 46mph led to a £130,000 boat sinking and sparked multiple rescue missions, raising questions as to why it was allowed to start.

A staggering 142 yachts out of 430 have had to retire from the 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race which started at the weekend in horrendous conditions which meant multiple rescues were done by overworked lifeboat and coastguard crews.

The brutal conditions caused one yacht to sink, while four lost their masts and almost 30 had to be rescued or assisted by emergency services and the RNLI.

Two stranded and injured sailors were rescued from their life raft by the Yarmouth RNLI lifeboat after their £130,000 yacht sunk west of The Needles on the Isle of Wight.

Another sailor suffered a serious head injury when he was struck by a beam and knocked overboard before being rescued by his crew mates.

A staggering 142 yachts out of 430 have had to retire from the 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race which started at the weekend in 46mph winds and 12ft waves (a yacht pictured sailing at the Rolex Fastnet Race)

Brutal weather conditions at the start of the 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race where winds reached 46mph and waves were 12ft high

The brutal conditions resulted in one yacht to sink, while four lost their masts and almost 30 had to be rescued or assisted by the emergency services and the RNLI

A coastguard helicopter winchman made repeated attempts to land on the vessel in order to evacuate the casualty but was prevented by the strong winds and the heavy sea swell.

The Swanage RNLI lifeboat arrived on the scene and two volunteers jumped onto the yacht to assess the man, who was drifting in and out of consciousness.

The yacht was guided into calmer waters before the casualty could be stretchered off and taken back to land where an ambulance was waiting.

The Swanage lifeboat also came to the rescue of another yacht whose steering had failed, causing them to lose control in gale force winds.

The carnage also saw multiple ‘man overboard’ beacons wash into the sea, resulting in some of them activating triggering lifeboat searches.

The multiple incidents involved the use of two coastguard helicopters, lifeboats crews from Yarmouth, Poole, Swanage and Weymouth and coastguard crews from Wyke Regis and Portland.

Howard Lester, Yarmouth RNLI coxswain said: ‘This weekend’s Fastnet race was the busiest one for Yarmouth lifeboat, responding to six incidents in some very challenging conditions.’

The famous race, being held for the 50th time, sees competitors race 600 miles from Cowes on the Isle of Wight, the spiritual home of British yachting, to Cherbourg, France, via the Fastnet Rock off the southern tip of Ireland.

The event started on Saturday afternoon and is due to finish on Friday.

The race experienced tragedy in 1979 when 18 people – 15 yachtsmen and three rescuers – were killed in horrific conditions which saw five yachts sink.

Although there have been no fatalities since people took to social media to raise concerns about it going ahead.

Some people have called on the event organisers to make a donation to the lifeboat and coastguard crews who came to the competitors’ aid while others questioned if it should have started in the first place.

James Churchill said: ‘I hope the operators of the race make a significant donation.’

Damian Lockie said: ‘Complete madness that the race was even started in such conditions and with the forecast.’

Two stranded and injured sailors were rescued from their life raft by the Yarmouth RNLI lifeboat after their £130,000 yacht sunk west of The Needles on the Isle of Wight

RNLI teams working to rescue a yacht at its seamen during the Rolex Fastnet Race

Some people have called on the event organisers to make a donation to the lifeboat and coastguard crews who came to the competitors’ aid while others questioned if it should have started in the first place (RNLI pictured rescuing stranded racers)

Hilary Drewer-Trump added: ‘Well done to everyone involved on rescues in very challenging and dangerous conditions.

‘Why did the race even start in those conditions?’

But the organisers today defended the decision to go ahead with racing. They said conditions had markedly improved since the first day of the competition.

In fact, they say a lack of wind is now hampering competitors as they approach the Fastnet rock.

Race director Steve Cole told Yachting Monthly they considered postponing the event but decided to go ahead as the expected bad weather

across the seven days was for when the boats would have been close to the English coast, where there are places to shelter.

He said: ‘The strong winds were forecast well in advance.

‘The club would like to thank HM Coastguard and the RNLI for their assistance.

‘It is thanks to their effort and skill that the incidents were dealt with professionally and those who required assistance were recovered safely.

‘Now the front has passed the wind and sea state have dropped.’

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