The wrecked "Vestas Wind", taken from the "Alvimedica"
Team Alvimedic observes the damaged yacht
The logbook entry for Team Alvimedica, in which the safe rescue of the Vestas crew is noted
Team Vestas Wind ran into a reef near the Cargados Carajos Islands northeast of Mauritius yesterday afternoon and suffered a serious damage. As the race management announced that night, the crew has left the yacht. She waded through knee-deep water to a dry point where she was met by the Coast Guard. In the meantime she has arrived safely and unharmed on the southern part of the main island, where there are some barracks as accommodation. Further consideration will be given to how the removal of the crew and the recovery of the yacht can be organized.
The Cargados-Carajos Islands northeast of Mauritius
The Cargados-Carajos Islands belong to the submarine Mascarene Plateau and are only around 3.2 square kilometers in size. However, it includes an extensive reef of 65 kilometers in a north-south direction. Apparently this was the undoing of Team Vestas.
After the crew was safely on land, Team Alvimedic continued the race. The crew had cruised in front of the reef to provide help if needed.
Positions at 3.45 UTC
At the update at 3.40 UTC, Abu Dhabi was ahead with a slight lead in the top quartet. The feared low pressure area had previously weakened and caused unstable winds on its western flank.