Dart RNLI hosts sailor rescued during Fastnet Race tragedy
A sailor rescued by the RNLI during the Fastnet Race tragedy is giving a talk about her experience to raise money for the Dart station.
Frances Reincke was just 21 when she competed in the 1979 race, during which an unexpectedly fierce Force 10 storm hit. Three hundred yachts were caught, and there were 21 fatalities and 22 boats wrecked in the worst ocean racing disaster there ever been, an event that reshaped safety at sea.
With her brother and six others, Frances’ yacht Autonomy felt the full force. Crew were injured, water poured through the main hatch with the level in the cabin up to the navigator’s seat.
The spinnaker pole fittings were been ripped out of the deck and the masthead fittings were rendered useless and the rudder jammed.
Autonomy sent up a red flare, and although that was missed the yacht was eventually towed to safety to Dunmore East by an Irish lifeboat that was part of the RNLI. A plaque at the station still commemorates ‘eight lives saved’.
Now chair of the Haslemere and Hindhead RNLI branch, Frances will be speaking, with video, at a special afternoon of cream tea and fizz at the Dart Marina Hotel on the afternoon of Thursday, March 26.
‘I haven’t talked about it much because whenever I did, I started crying,’ says Frances. ‘It was a terrifying experience and communication was very different in those days.
‘My father had bought a copy of the Evening Standard and our boat was listed as ‘missing, presumed drowned’.
She has been a RNLI supporter ever since, adding: ‘I get huge satisfaction volunteering. I help raise funds for a cause that is close to my heart and we have fun working as a team.’
Just a few tickets remain for this special one-off event, at £40 a head. Book your place by email at [email protected]
RNLI media contacts
For more information, please contact Dominic Hart, Dart RNLI press officer, on 07767 764 144 or the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789 or at [email protected].
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Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates over 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and, in a normal year, more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.