As the boat ran aground, Chris Nicholson and his crew decided to stay in their Volvo Ocean 65, where the waves came in. Due to the impact, the rudders broke and an ingress of water appeared at the back of the boat. At around midnight, the Vestas Wind team decided to leave the boat to take refuge in a part of the reef and wait for help. At 3:30 a.m., they were taken in charge and repatriated to the South Island, in the archipelago of Saint-Brandon, 403 km from Mauritius.
Team Alvimedica, called to go and rescue the Danish crew, evoked in a message its deep sadness " Everything is fine on board. We are all deeply saddened by what has happened to Team Vestas Wind. We are glad that we could be there with them to support them. Now we are looking forward to having a beer with them as soon as possible!" With the arrival of the rescue team, the hijacked crew was able to get back on course.
Team Vestas Wind late arrival on the Volvo
Team Vestas Wind is the latest crew to enter the Volvo Ocean Race, six weeks before the start of the festivities in Alicante. Chris Nicholson has four Volvo Ocean Race entries to his credit, including two second place finishes in recent editions. For this 2014-2015 edition, he was surrounded by young experienced sailors and was in fifth place in the ranking.
In the meantime..
The four boats still in the race have finally emerged from the tropical storm and Team MAPFRE has taken the lead. They had to face winds of around 30 knots and strong to very strong seas.
