Yachting Monthly

TO PROTECT & SERVE

Sailing around the Fastnet Rock Lighthouse is something of a milestone for any sailor. Since 1925, the most southerly point of Ireland has been the focus for thousands of amateur and professional sailors competing in the biennial Fastnet Race.

It has also borne witness to the UK’s worst sailing disaster. Gerald Butler was one of the lighthouse keepers on duty at Fastnet on the night of the 1979 Force 10 storm, which claimed 21 lives.

As a third-generation lighthouse keeper, Butler has spent much of his life in isolation living on the storm-battered rocks of southern Ireland where he worked as an Assistant

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Yachting Monthly

Yachting Monthly1 min read
News In Numbers
Oyster Yachts has returned to profit, showing a 29% year-on-year increase in turnover to £56.4m in 2023 OneSails GBR has recycled, re-used and repurposed over 250 old and unwanted sails in the first year of setting up its ‘ReSail’ platform. MDL Marin
Yachting Monthly2 min read
Are You Brave Enough To Have A Go?
The flexing of spring’s muscles calls for a dusting down of my jobs list. I never intend winter boat maintenance to become last minute but a busy life creates a bow wave of tasks that end up clamouring for last-minute attention. As ever, booking the
Yachting Monthly3 min read
Russia Suspected Of 63-hour Attack On GPS Signals In The Baltic Region
Russia is suspected of launching a 63-hour-long attack on GPS signals in the Baltic region, starting on 31 March, Easter Sunday, in a move that affected more than 1,600 passenger planes, as well as other GPS users. The incident, which saw at least 1,

Related Books & Audiobooks