Volvo Ocean Race’s shipwrecked nine-man Team Vestas Wind crew finally made it back to civilisation on Wednesday, telling of their amazing escape from a collision with an Indian Ocean reef which grounded their boat.
The unshaven, exhausted, but uninjured team in the global ocean race were holed up, incommunicado, for three days in the remote archipelago after their boat ran into the reef on Saturday afternoon.
Chris Nicholson, their 45-year-old skipper from New South Wales, who was contesting his fourth edition of the nine-month Volvo Ocean Race until the accident at the weekend, said he was still piecing together his emotions after the crash.
“I’m really disappointed of course – on the other hand, we have to realise how fortunate we are for everyone to be here in one piece, and to be healthy.
The past four days have been very challenging for all of us, and I am extremely proud of the whole crew’s professionalism, composure, and endurance
“It’s pretty amazing, so there’s a lot of emotions at the moment,” he said shortly after arriving at dockside in Mauritius.
“The past four days have been very challenging for all of us, and I am extremely proud of the whole crew’s professionalism, composure, and endurance.