And Then There Were Six
Team Vestas Wind ran aground in the middle of the Indian Ocean while racing from Cape Town, South Africa, to Abu Dhabi in the Volvo Ocean Race on Saturday evening. The boat had hit a reef in Cargados Carajos Shoals, Mauritius. Although the boat was doing 19 knots at the time, none of the nine men aboard were injured in the initial grounding or in the events that followed.
Both rudders were damaged, and the stern compartment began taking on water. Airtight bulkheads separated the damaged area from the rest of the one-design 65-footer. The remainder of the boat, including the rig, is intact.
Contact was established with a coast guard station on an inhabited islet, Ile du Sud, only 1.5 kilometers (.81 nautical miles) away. Team Alvimedica, led by American Charlie Enright, was the nearest competitor, and they diverted to stand by the stricken yacht. Alvimedica’s Australian navigator Will Oxley talked to his adversaries on the radio.
The rescue was planned for daybreak. Meanwhile, Team Vestas Wind deployed two life rafts, as big waves were pounding the stern of the boat on the rocks, but for several hours all crew remained aboard. Finally, they waded through knee-deep water to a dry part of the reef. At dawn, they were picked up by the coast guard boat and taken to Ile du Sud.
Will Oxley said, "We are all shattered and quite emotional about what happened. We are really pleased we were able to be of assistance and that the crew of Team Vestas Wind are all well, and we look forward to a beer with them as soon as possible."
The Danish Team Vestas Wind is skippered by Aussie Chris Nicholson, 45, who finished second in the two previous editions of the VOR. "We made a mistake," Nicholson stated on Sunday night, "which led to what happened, but I’ve been blown away by the way the guys dealt with the situation, trying to make things as right as possible today. They make me so proud.” Nicholson was amazed that the boat survived the impact without breaking up immediately. He now plans to meet up with shore crew chief Neil Cox and assess the chances of salvaging the boat.
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Vestas Wind is one of seven teams competing in the around-the-world race. As of this morning, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing was in the lead northeast of Madagascar. Team Alvimedica will be given redress for the time they lost. See more at www.volvooceanrace.com.