Gale force winds and huge seas forced more than half the Fastnet Race fleet to retire to port yesterday.

A spokeswoman said that 149 of the 271 yachts which started the race on Monday had called it a day by last night. But organisers insisted there was no chance the competition would be cancelled.

"The race office is getting calls from yachts continuously. Hopefully the bulk of those who want to retire has now gone through," she explained.

One 36-year-old sailor is in hospital with a broken leg after the Salcombe lifeboat in Devon was launched to assist his colleagues to get their boat and him to safety.

But Falmouth Coastguard said that despite the "lively" conditions it has not launched any search and rescue operations as those who are carrying on head west in force 6 winds and heavy seas. Weather conditions are echoing those of the tragic 1979 race, which cost the lives of 17 sailors.

Organisers have been very aware of the dangers since then . A spokesman said: "Boats have been streaming into Plymouth, the race finish, and other ports along the Devon and Cornwall coastline, after they elected to or were forced to retire and head for shelter. For some boats it was not so much the wind but the accompanying sea state that was proving exhausting for the crews."

One of the race leaders, Alfa Romeo, retired on Monday night with the wind at 30 knots, gusting to 40. Racing manager Janet Grosvenor said: "The boats are doing exactly what we expected, given the conditions. They are going safely into nearby ports and the race office is in contact with local coastguards to monitor the boats."

Another notable retirement was the record-breaking yachtswoman Dee Caffari, who suffered damage to the bottom of the mainsail on her 60ft boat Aviva and was unable to fix it in the tough conditions.