Reliving a tragedy at sea

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By Alison Harper BBC News, Cowes

Nick Ward on his experiences in 1979, and why he is racing again

To start the legendary Fastnet Race is a massive achievement for any sailor.

For Nick Ward - one of the survivors of the disastrous 1979 race - it is so much more.

Thirty years ago, he lived through unimaginable horror on board the 30ft yacht Grimalkin as she was pounded in a storm that claimed the lives of 15 competitors.

But he's now putting the past behind and attempting to achieve his dream of getting round the Fastnet Rock.

It had started so well. The crew on board Grimalkin had trained together and as they left the Solent in August 1979, heading out on the 609 mile course, they were in a good position.

But 24 hours later Nick said there were signs that things were changing.

"There was a weird sunset on the Monday - the sunset came very quickly and very early.

"At about six o'clock this weird combination of colours came down, like something was pressing on the sea - a harbinger of something bad to come."

'Cliff size' waves

The skipper listened to the weather forecast which predicted winds of nothing more than a force eight, but then he also a heard a French forecast, suggesting winds of force 10 or more and that Nick brought the first of many problems.

It is hard to picture how rough the seas were that night, but Nick's description is not only horrifyingly vivid but was also backed up by the search and rescue crews who were to experience the same conditions.

Emily Caruso is taking part in her first Fastnet race

"These seas were house size, cliff size. They break in all directions - they were massive - like the cliffs of Dover.

"And they were wide, like Waterloo station. And the noise - they're not silent. You just can't hear yourself speak.

"The waves were so, so big and relentless. We began to get knocked down throughout the Tuesday morning."

Each time the crew hauled themselves on board and into position, sapping all their energy as they battled hypothermia and the elements.

At some point Nick lost consciousness, and the following minutes and hours have been much debated.

The remaining crew had seen Grimalkin's skipper drown and believed Nick and another crew member, Gerry Winks to be dead.

Abandoning ship

They took the decision to abandon the yacht and get into the liferaft.

"I guess they had their own terror. When I got back on board and found they weren't there, there was initial anger but that anger was channelled into saving the boat and Gerry and so that was the only anger I had then.

I was thinking of my relatives, was I going to last, was I going to sink, then the helicopter appeared and down came this guy and banged on to the coachroof Nick Ward

"They thought I and Gerry were dead and if they thought that fine, but I have nothing against those who left me on the yacht, nothing at all."

Nick told me how he came to in the water, attached to the yacht by his lifeline. He hauled himself on board and then hauled Gerry Winks out of the water.

He tried unsuccessfully to save his life. Angry, he grabbed a bucket and as his survival instinct kicked in, bailed for his life.

At this point across the South West, the rescue operation was in full swing.

Dave Lewis was on watch that day and manned the distress channel. He was used to them taking a handful of calls a day, but within hours there were hundreds.

"There were yachts overturned disabled, dismasted, sinking, crew abandoning to liferafts. It was like something out of a novel but this was not fiction, it was real."

Helicopter rescue

Nick continued to bail for his life for 12 hours. Hallucinating and hypothermic, he played Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd music in his head.

Then his saviour, a green Sea King helicopter with a number 90, hovered overhead.

"I just burst into tears, I remember it very well so vividly.

"I was thinking of my relatives, was I going to last, was I going to sink, then the helicopter appeared and down came this guy and banged on to the coachroof. Absolutely incredible."

A memorial service in Cowes remembered those who died in 1979

Decades later, Nick has now joined the crew on board Ariel, a 60ft yacht which has circumnavigated the globe several times.

The 300 strong fleet will leave Cowes, heading along the Solent and out into the waters of the English Channel heading for the Fastnet Rock.

They will round the rock and head to the finish at Plymouth. For the crew on Ariel it will take several days of hard graft.

On board with Nick is Emily Caruso, second mate, who is undertaking her first Fastnet.

"Fatigue will be the biggest challenge," she said.

"Living in close quarters you tend to discover people's true natures very quickly and they become exposed and magnified to a degree."

Lessons learnt

The Fastnet 1979 is the worst disaster in offshore racing history, with 15 competitors dying along with six other sailors who were not competing.

The subsequent inquiry into safety and equipment in extreme conditions has been described as a landmark and the most definitive work of its kind ever published.

It led to new and exacting standards for amongst others boat design, life rafts and safety harnesses.

The Fastnet Race remains one of the most prestigious in the offshore racing calendar and while it has not been defined by the tragedy 30 years ago, it has been shaped by it.

It was Nick's ambition as a child to race around Fastnet Rock, and now he will attempt it again. With a laugh and a smile he insists he is looking forward to it.

"Anyway, I'm lucky my wife has allowed me to go!" he added.