Special to the Irish Echo
Baltimore, West Cork --- Amid scenes of relief and jubilation, the crew of a 100-foot American registered sailboat, "Rambler 100," stepped ashore in this picturesque West Cork town late Monday after their yacht capsized five miles southwest of the Fastnet lighthouse.
After a dramatic rescue operation involving the Baltimore Lifeboat, Irish coastguard helicopters from Shannon and Waterford, and the Irish navy ship LE Ciara, early fears that a repeat of the 1979 Fastnet Race disaster might be a reality were stowed as residents and holidaymakers clapped ashore the captain and crew of the Rambler, which was taking part in this year's Rolex-sponsored Fastnet contest.
The Rambler capsized in strong but not especially stormy seas about 16 miles from Baltimore and shortly after rounding Fastnet Rock just before 6 p.m.
As luck would have it, the Baltimore lifeboat, with its all-volunteer crew, was conducting sea exercises at the time the alarm was sounded.
The capsize triggered the Rambler's emergency locator beacon.
Speaking to the Irish Echo in Baltimore Sailing Club - where the crew was given food, drink and dry clothing after coming ashore - captain and owner George David, a resident of Manhattan's Upper East Side, said that the Rambler's 18-ton keel had been sheared off and the 33-ton boat had flipped over without any warning.
The crew had been given only a few seconds warning before the boat capsized and ended hull-up in the water.
While most crew members managed to stay on the hull, five ended up in the water. One of them, a woman member of the crew, was later airlifted to Tralee hospital suffering from hypothermia. Early news reports listed the five as "missing" and it was this that sparked fears of a repeat of the 1979 tragedy.
The lifeboat reached the Rambler at about 8 p.m. and took on board the crew members on the hull. The five in the water were rescued by a local diving boat, though by then in poor visibility.
Foggy conditions were likely to blame for the fact that five other yachts in the race passed about a mile from the upturned Rambler without seeing it.
A member of the Rambler crew, Kyle Lynam, said that all on board had been very calm and professional when disaster had struck.
But he said he and his fellow crew members felt overwhelmed by the welcome in Baltimore, itself a popular destination for sailboats and their crews.
The Baltimore lifeboat was called into action in 1979 and some crew members from that year are still serving on board. Fifteen sailors lost their lives in that year's Fastnet race when a huge storm, which weather forecasts did not fully predict, roared in from the Atlantic.
In this year's race, which is a biennial competition, over 300 yachts are taking part. Competitors had set sail from Cowes on the Isle of Wight off England's south coast on Sunday.
In the event, racers in various boat categories sail to the Fastnet, round the rock and its lighthouse, round the Scilly Isles and finish up in Plymouth.
The race, which first took place in 1925, is 608 miles long by its present day route, although this is based on ideal sailing conditions.
Reacting to the dramatic rescue, the Irish government's marine minister Simon Coveney, a Cork TD and himself a keen sailor, said the rescue was a reminder of how important it was for Ireland to have well-resourced sea rescue teams.
"This was a dramatic sea rescue that was coordinated with speed and professionalism and everybody involved should be commended for their efforts," Coveney said.
"The Fastnet race is one of the most high-profile offshore yacht races in the world and Rambler 100 is one of the best-known racing yachts on the planet. This incident will be reported in the international press and we can be proud of the way in which Irish emergency services contributed to preventing any loss of life.
"Most importantly, my response is one of relief that there was no loss of life, which considering the size and speed of the yacht and the conditions at the time, is a minor miracle. I hope everyone involved will make a full recovery," he told reporters.
The Fastnet is three miles off Cape Clear island. A memorial stone listing the 15 names of the 1979 victims was erected on Cape Clear in 2004, the 25th anniversary of the disaster.
Meanwhile, efforts were underway Tuesday to salvage Rambler by towing it to Bantry Bay.
