Sailing-Gale force winds force 86 to retire from English Channel race on first night

As many as 86 of the 430 official starters of the Rolex Fastnet Race were forced to retire due to "brutal" conditions on the first night of racing with gale force conditions in the English Channel, the race committee said late on Sunday.

The 50th edition of the world's largest offshore yacht race, a biennial event organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, saw competitors braving strong winds of 38 knots (70 kmh or 43 mph) and gusts as high as 46 knots.

In addition, 15 registered entries did not start. Among those who did brave the conditions, several crews were forced to call the Coastguard, some due to injuries while the race committee confirmed that one yacht had sunk.

"At approximately 16:30 yesterday afternoon (15:30 GMT on Saturday) the Sun Fast 3600 Vari began to take on water southwest of the Needles," the committee said.

"Thanks to the swift response of the emergency services both crew members were evacuated to Yarmouth, Isle of Wight and are safe and well. The boat is believed to have sunk although the exact reasons are not yet confirmed," it said.

The committee said four yachts had also been dismasted. Others sustained damage ranging from broken steering, loss of rigging and deck failure. One ran aground after its anchor dragged.

Race veteran Gery Trentesaux, winner of the 2015 edition of the event, was forced to retire for the first time ever when the mast foot of his vessel exploded.

"The strong winds last night were forecast well in advance. The club would like to thank HM Coastguard and the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) for their assistance," race director Steve Cole said.

"It is thanks to their effort and skill that the incidents were dealt with professionally and those who required assistance