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Special Report: Rolex Fastnet Race

‘We’ll Be Back,’ They Vowed, and They Are

By Christopher Clarey

• Aug. 14, 2015

COWES, England — In hindsight, Jerry Kirby and the other members of Rambler 100’s crew were not sailing in a maxi yacht destined to win races and shatter offshore records.

“In hindsight, we were sailing around in a time bomb,” Kirby said.

The bomb detonated on the afternoon of Aug. 15, 2011, during the Rolex Fastnet Race, about 20 minutes after Rambler 100 rounded the Fastnet Rock, one of yacht racing’s touchstones.

With a bang reminiscent of one of the starting cannons back in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, the yacht’s keel fin suddenly snapped, and within a minute the 100-foot boat had flipped upside down in the midst of the Celtic Sea as its crew scrambled for their lives.

Against the odds, all 21 of them survived .

“We all know and they all know how fortunate they were,” said Eddie Warden Owen, chief executive of the Royal Ocean Racing Club, which organizes the Fastnet.

George David, the retired American businessman who had leased Rambler 100, was one of five sailors, including his partner and future wife, Wendy, who were unable to fight the current and swim back to the boat after it capsized. They ended up drifting far from the wreckage in the chilly open sea, linking arms in their life jackets to remain together before they were rescued and taken to Baltimore, Ireland.

But David, according to Kirby, eventually vowed to do another Fastnet. “He did the full Arnold Schwarzenegger: ‘We’ll be back,”’ said Kirby, the veteran American bowman.

Four years later, here they are, although not with Rambler 100, which was salvaged and later sold to the Australian businessman Anthony Bell.

Instead, the Davids, Kirby and several other members of that 2011 crew will race in this year’s Fastnet — which starts Sunday — in a new, smaller yacht named Rambler 88. David, the 73-year-old former head of United Technologies Corporation, is clearly not a superstitious man: His new maxi with a canting keel was designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian, the same Argentine who designed Rambler 100 and its canting keel.

Rambler 88 was launched in December and completed the Transatlantic Race last month from Newport, R.I., to The Lizard in southwest England without incident and in style, beating another high-profile newcomer, Comanche, on corrected time to win the maxi division.

The slightly built Wendy David was one of those who suffered the most in the water in 2011, developing severe hypothermia that required her to be airlifted to a hospital after the rescue.

“She has had some side effects,” Kirby said. “When you get that extreme case of hypothermia, it’s just the circulation. Her hands get cold, but she’s game. She told us, ‘Good luck with the Transatlantic, and I’ll see you for the Fastnet.”’

George David declined prerace interview requests, citing travel constraints, but he and other members of Rambler 100’s crew have been active in reaching out to the sailing community since the accident, trying to share the lessons learned from a disaster that could have been much more disastrous.

“I think all of us feel like somebody was watching over everybody,” Kirby said. “The reality of a disaster like that, if you live to talk about it, is that we learned a whole lot of things that were sort of holes in our safety program.”

One rule that had no hole was the Royal Ocean Racing Club regulation that crew members must wear a life jacket if they are sailing at night or alone on deck, if the wind is 25 knots or more, if visibility is less than one nautical mile, or if they are reefing (using reduced sail area).

When the Rambler accident occurred in 2011, the only one of those stipulations that applied was the last, which meant that most of the life jackets were on.

“We would have had dead people if that rule wasn’t in place,” Kirby said.

There could still have been deaths if Kirby and Jan Dekker had not pulled a drowning crew mate, Mick Harvey, to safety. “I still get big bear hugs from him every time I see him,” Kirby said.

Or if navigator Peter Isler, the last to leave the navigation station after the boat had flipped, had not found a way to grab on to Andrew Taylor’s boot underwater after a long, increasingly frantic swim, which then allowed Taylor to pull him to safety. Or if Wave Chieftain, a dive boat that happened to be in the area, had not managed to locate and rescue the five free-floating sailors in the fading light in the cold water.

“I honestly thought for George that would sort of be it,” Kirby said of David’s interest in offshore racing. “But he just is a true adventurer. The guy loves to sail, loves the game. I’ve never seen a guy happier to be offshore.”

Among the takeaways from the 2011 accident: more focus on stowing emergency equipment where it’s accessible in case of a capsize; more emphasis on new-age emergency beacons to improve their reach and connectivity; more focus — perhaps most fundamentally — on avoiding keel failures.

“I think we really should run our sport in such a way that keels don’t break, and they don’t wear out,” Stan Honey, the leading American navigator, said in a recent interview. “Owners don’t like it. Insurance companies don’t like it. Sailors don’t like it. Designers don’t like it.

“I don’t think there’s anyone in the sport who’s arguing we should be optimizing to have dicey keels. I think the sport is responding, and there’s a more formal plan review process now as part of the design of the boats.”

Isler, one of the leading voices behind the safety push, sees more sailors wearing their life jackets when conditions warrant, more meaningful safety briefings, and more crews that are better equipped for survival and rescue.

He believes the high profile of both Rambler 100’s accident and of its deeply experienced crew also made a difference, reaching a general audience and the elite sailing community.

“This community has a huge effect on boats, sailors and how our game is played,” Isler wrote in an email this week. “They are the role models, and when they take the time to go below and fit out their life jacket before the start, to make sure it’s adjusted correctly, the rest of the crew is watching, learning by example and is encouraged by peer pressure to emulate.”

What also sets an example is when sailors who have been through an experience as harrowing as Rambler’s 2011 Fastnet decide to rebound, rebuild and come back for more.

“We all have a lot of confidence in the new boat and we’ve really taken our safety protocol up a big notch,” Kirby said. “I decided I wasn’t doing the Fastnet again unless I was doing it with George. So this is perfect.”

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Rambler 100 Capsizes in Fastnet Race

• By Yachting Staff
• Updated: August 16, 2011

Rambler 100 Capsize

At midnight, Monday 15 August, Eddie Warden Owen, Chief Executive of the Royal Ocean Racing Club received a call from Mick Harvey, Project Manager of George David’s Rambler 100 (USA) . Harvey spoke about the harrowing incident when the 100′ Maxi Rambler 100 capsized in the Celtic Sea during the Rolex Fastnet Race.

The incident happened just after Rambler 100 rounded the Fastnet Rock at 17:25 BST. At the time, Rambler 100 were leading the monohull fleet and vying for monohull line honours in the Rolex Fastnet Race which started on Sunday 14th.

Mick Harvey’s account of the incident was charged with emotion. The tough Australian, who now lives in Newport, Rhode Island (USA), is a seasoned veteran, but he was understandably shaken by the incident:

“Soon after rounding the Fastnet Rock, the wind went southwest, right on the nose. We were beating into big seas, launching Rambler off the top of full size waves. I was down below with navigator, Peter Isler when we heard the sickening sound of the keel breaking off. It was instantaneous; there was no time to react. The boat turned turtle, just like a dinghy capsizing. Peter Isler issued a Mayday and we got out of there as quickly as we could.”

The EPIRB had been activated and a number of crew climbed over the guardrails and onto the hull as the boat capsized and helped those swimming to safety. The Atlantic swell made it difficult for the crew to get out of the water however, working together, 16 of the crew managed to scale the upturned hull.

Five of the crew were swept away by the waves out of reach of the stricken Maxi and these included Skipper, George David and partner Wendy Touton who were in the water for two and a half hours. This group linked arms, forming a circle. Valencia Coastguard diverted a local fishing boat, Wave Chieftain to assist, which winched the crew on board. Earlier a helicopter had been scrambled from Shannon Airport helicopter, Wendy Touton was airlifted for medical attention due to the effects of hypothermia and the four remaining crew were taken to Baltimore Harbour where they were re-united with the 16 crew rescued by the Baltimore Lifeboat.

“It was a scary moment. One that I will never forget,” admitted Mick Harvey. “I can’t begin to tell you how relieved I am that all of the crew are safe. The town of Baltimore has given us a wonderful welcome. I can not thank our rescuers and the people of this lovely village enough. Wendy is in Kerry Hospital and doing fine, I am just so relieved that everybody is okay.”

Account from the Fastnet Race Website: http://fastnet.rorc.org/

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International Yacht & Athletic Club

IYAC located on Thames Street in Newport, RI Owned by Mick Harvey.

Yachting World

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Rambler 100 Capsizes in Fastnet Race

• Matthew Sheahan
• August 15, 2011

The 100ft supermaxi capsizes on leg back from Fastnet – lucky escape for five missing crew members

The yacht Rambler 100 has capsized between the Fastnet Rock and the Pantaenius Buoy. The Irish Coastguard services are coordinating the rescue. The Baltimore RNLI lifeboat is on the scene. Two Sikorsky helicopters have been scrambled and an Irish Naval vessel is en route to the scene of the accident

As the new broke a statement from the RORC said that all 21 crew have been rescued.

This morning it is understood that five of the crew had been separated from the upturned boat but were picked up by the media team of the Gunboat catamaran Phaedo who were enroute to the Fastnet rock to photograph their team’s arrival. Marketing director Rachel Jaspersen described the incident.

“Whilst Team Phaedo Media Team were preparing for Phaedo’s arrival at the Fastnet rock, there was a call from the Irish Coastguard, for all ships in the area to be on standby.

Being the only boat that had braved the weather and high seas for the ultimate photograph of ones yacht at “The Rock”, we immediately abandoned project and called in to help.

All crew on the up-turned hull of Rambler were fine and well, but 5 crew had drifted off from the upturned hull and were no longer in sight. We searched the area where they had received a personal EBIRB transmission from and miraculously found the missing 5 crew after they had been in the water for 3 hours.

We pulled aboard our dive vessel owner George David and his 4 crew members who had all been strapped together, cold, but healthy, happy, safe, and well.”

At midnight, Monday 15 August, Eddie Warden Owen, Chief Executive of the Royal Ocean Racing Club received a call from Mick Harvey, Project Manager of George David’s Rambler 100 (USA). Harvey spoke about the harrowing incident when the 100′ Maxi Rambler 100 capsized in the Celtic Sea during the Rolex Fastnet Race.   The incident happened just after Rambler 100 rounded the Fastnet Rock at 17:25 BST. At the time, Rambler 100 were leading the monohull fleet and vying for monohull line honours in the Rolex Fastnet Race which started on Sunday 14th.   Mick Harvey’s account of the incident was charged with emotion. The tough Australian, who now lives in Newport, Rhode Island (USA), is a seasoned veteran, but he was understandably shaken by the incident:   “Soon after rounding the Fastnet Rock, the wind went southwest, right on the nose. We were beating into big seas, launching Rambler off the top of full size waves. I was down below with navigator, Peter Isler when we heard the sickening sound of the keel breaking off. It was instantaneous; there was no time to react. The boat turned turtle, just like a dinghy capsizing. Peter Isler issued a Mayday and we got out of there as quickly as we could.”   The EPIRB had been activated and a number of crew climbed over the guardrails and onto the hull as the boat capsized and helped those swimming to safety. The Atlantic swell made it difficult for the crew to get out of the water however, working together, 16 of the crew managed to scale the upturned hull.   Five of the crew were swept away by the waves out of reach of the stricken Maxi and these included Skipper, George David and partner Wendy Touton who were in the water for two and a half hours. This group linked arms, forming a circle. Valencia Coastguard diverted a local fishing boat, Wave Chieftain to assist, which winched the crew on board. Earlier a helicopter had been scrambled from Shannon Airport helicopter, Wendy Touton was airlifted for medical attention due to the effects of hypothermia and the four remaining crew were taken to Baltimore Harbour where they were re-united with the 16 crew rescued by the Baltimore Lifeboat.   “It was a scary moment. One that I will never forget,” admitted Mick Harvey. “I can’t begin to tell you how relieved I am that all of the crew are safe. The town of Baltimore has given us a wonderful welcome. I can not thank our rescuers and the people of this lovely village enough. Wendy is in Kerry Hospital and doing fine, I am just so relieved that everybody is okay.”

More capsize stories:

AC World Series: Capsize Club Coutts capsizes AC yacht Collision in Istanbul

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Mick Harvey Announces First Solo Album In Over 10 Years

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

Australian singer-songwriter Mick Harvey has announced his new upcoming solo album, Five Ways to Say Goodbye, which is set to be released on May 10, 2024, via Mute. This album will serve as his first solo album in over a decade.

Five Ways to Say Goodbye,” tracks are penned by many artists, including Ed Kuepper , Fatal Shore, David McComb, Lo Carmen, and Lee Hazelwood. The album will showcase a blend of original compositions and reinterpretations of existing songs.

Mick Harvey – ‘When We Were Beautiful & Young’

Mick Harvey’s latest single, “When We Were Beautiful & Young,” also offers a representation of youth, highlighting his extensive career spanning nearly five decades. One notable track on the album is “A Suitcase in Berlin,” originally released in 2023, which reimagines Marlene Dietrich’s classic ode to Berlin with a contemporary twist that reflects the passage of time and the city’s historical weight.

Mick Harvey shared details on his reinterpretations of others’ songs in the album via a press release “I don’t think cover is appropriate terminology,” He said. “It’s not a copy. To my mind it’s more in the traditional sense of how songs used to be, where they would mutate and you’d end up with lots of different versions. One is really just passing the music on and sharing the songs further.”

Mick Harvey also describes the theme of the album.“(The album) is kind of about farewells or saying goodbye,” explained Harvey, “There’s a lot around that subject so it’s got a kind of melancholy and sentimentality around it.”

Further Reading

Beyoncé Announces New Album And Dropped Two New Singles

Angus & Julia Stone Announces New Album ‘Cape Forrester’

Taylor Swift Announces New Album During Her Grammys Acceptance Speech

The post Mick Harvey Announces First Solo Album In Over 10 Years appeared first on Music Feeds .

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