The 2014/15 Volvo Ocean Race had its first moment of alarm on Saturday, when Team Vestas was grounded on a reef in the Indian Ocean 10 days into the second leg from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi. Osman Samiuddin looks at what happened.
No harm
The Danish boat, the last team to join the race, hit the reef in Cargados Carajos Shoals, near Mauritius. The nine crew were uninjured. They chose to stay on the boat for several hours as it was persistently struck by waves, with the bow facing the ocean. “I’m extremely relieved that every one of the nine crew members now are safe and that nobody is injured,” said Knut Frostad, the race chief executive. “That has always been our first priority since we first learnt about the grounding.”
To the rescue
Nearly nine hours after first becoming stricken, the crew, led by skipper Chris Nicholson, abandoned the boat. It was so shallow, they waded knee-deep to a dry spot on the reef where they were rescued by a coastguard vessel. They were then taken to the islet of Íle du Sud, an island about 430 kilometres to the north-east of Mauritius. One of their competitors, Team Alvimedica, had diverted their course to help if a rescue mission was necessary. They will be compensated for the loss of time when they resume the race.
Damage
The Volvo Ocean 65 received severe damage. The rudders were broken in the collision and the boat began taking on water at the stern, although the stern compartment was sealed. This leg is over for Team Vestas, but the main concern is to assess the full extent of the damage and determine whether it can be fixed to take part in future legs. The reasons for the grounding will also be examined.
The show goes on
Team Vestas were fifth when their race came to an abrupt end and some distance behind the leading pack of four boats that had slipped away over the past two days. They were fourth in the first leg, which was some achievement given how little time their crew had to prepare as a team. While Team Vestas were fighting for survival Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s Azzam took over the race lead ahead of Team Brunel.
Latest Standings
1. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, 2. Team Brunel (Netherlands), 3. Dongfeng Race Team (China), 4. MAPFRE (Spain), 5. Team Alvimedica (U.S./Turkey), 6. Team SCA (Sweden), 7 Team Vestas Wind (Denmark) - suspended racing.
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