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Documentary on One: Back to the Rock

DOC Sundowner at sea Image Name: DOC Sundowner at sea
DOC John O Donnell and the Crew of Sundowner after the Fastnet Race 1979 Image Name: DOC John O Donnell and the Crew of Sundowner after the Fastnet Race 1979
DOC Stern Of Golden Apple of the Sun Image Name: DOC Stern Of Golden Apple of the Sun
DOC Helicopter Rescue Image Name: DOC Helicopter Rescue
DOC Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012 : Leg 9 Start Lorient To Galway Image Name: DOC Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012 : Leg 9 Start Lorient To Galway
DOC Sailing - Fastnet Race - Admiral's Cup Image Name: DOC Sailing - Fastnet Race - Admiral's Cup

The Fastnet is one of the most famous yacht races in the world – and one of the most dangerous. Starting from Cowes in the Isle of Wight, the race heads west around the Fastnet Rock off the west Cork coast where the boats turn back east, finishing in Plymouth. 605 miles long, the race has always prided itself on welcoming virtually all-comers: from the ocean-going professionals crewing the slick racing machine to the weekend-sailors, family and friends aboard the sturdy little cruiser.

But in August 1979 the race was struck by a massive Atlantic storm that had not been forecast. Many of the more than 300 boats boats were dis-masted or abandoned; some boats sank. By the end of the race, twenty-one people were dead. Forty years later John O’Donnell, who as a teenager sailed in the 1979 Fastnet aboard the yacht “Sundowner,” remembers the storm and talks to sailors, including those on one of the top Irish boats in the race, Golden Apple of the Sun, owned by the late politician and businessman Hugh Coveney. John hears from lighthouse-keepers and weather experts as he tries to find out what happened.

The Documentary On One: Back To The Rock is a gripping and evocative adventure story, told from a unique perspective. A story of hurricane winds and waves the size of houses, it is also a story of fear and courage, survival and disaster, and the power and allure of the sea.

Produced by:  John O’Donnell and Tim Desmond.