Fastnet tragedy survivor recounts emotional rescue at Dart RNLI event
A Fastnet Race tragedy survivor has visited Dartmouth to share her experience and raise funds for Dart RNLI’s new station.
Frances Reincke told her emotional story to a sell-out audience at the Dart Marina Hotel on March 26, saying: ‘It was a moment in history that will never be forgotten.’
Frances was just 21 when she competed in the 1979 race from Cowes to south-west Ireland, during which an unexpectedly fierce storm hit. There were 19 sailing fatalities and 22 boats wrecked in the worst ocean racing disaster in history. The scale of the disaster saw 65 people rescued by boat, and 75 saved by RAF helicopters in an event that reshaped safety at sea.
With her 19-year-old brother Mathew and six others, Frances’s yacht Autonomy felt the full force. Crew were injured, two briefly swept overboard, and water poured through the main hatch as the crew battled to stay afloat. At one point, the 36-foot yacht capsized, before coming back up.
‘It was like being in a roller-coaster,’ said Frances. ‘I remember silently sobbing while passing up buckets of water.
‘When one wave hit I did a full summersault and ended up on the chart table.’
Autonomy’s spinnaker pole fittings were ripped out and the masthead fittings rendered useless and the rudder jammed, leaving no steering.
The crew sent up a red flare, and although that was missed the yacht was eventually towed to safety by RNLI Dunmore East. A plaque at the station still commemorates ‘eight lives saved’ and Frances recalled how the quayside was packed with emergency services and townsfolk when they arrived in darkness in the early hours. Only then did the crew realise the size of the tragedy, with communication so different in that era.
Now chair of the Haslemere and Hindhead RNLI branch, Frances recalled: ‘It was a terrifying experience. My father had bought a copy of the Evening Standard and Autonomy was listed as “missing, presumed drowned”.’
She has been a RNLI supporter ever since. ‘Thank you to the RNLI. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.’
Frances was introduced by Jake Moores, chairman of Dart RNLI management team, and appreciation was given to Dart Marina Hotel for their outstanding hospitality, and a generous fizz donation from St Austell Brewery.
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].
RNLI online
For more information, please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the RNLI News Centre.
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.