Club Yacht
Club Yacht
  • Home
  • Famous Yachts and their Owners
  • Who’s Who
  • Destinations
  • News & Events

Team Vestas Wind Grounding – Report Says it was Human Error

19
Mar, 2015
Club Yacht By Club Yacht
Team Vestas Wind Grounding – Report Says it was Human Error
  • News & Events
  • No comments

On 29 November 2014 a high-powered yacht racing in the Volvo Ocean Race crashed into the Carajos Shoals. Team Vestas Wind was grounded and could not continue the second leg of the race. The nine crew members on board were forced to abandon ship in the middle of the night and were rescued by the Mauritius coast guard the following day.

The crisis unfolds

The team was on its way to Abu Dhabi after setting sail at Cape Town harbor, and entered an area near Mauritius where seamounts are common. A seamount is a body of rock rising from the sea floor, not visible above the water. The charted depth of the area was incorrectly assessed at 40m and the yacht was steered into one of these mounts. It was traveling at a speed of between 16 and 21 knots when the collision occurred. The rudders instantly broke off and the team leaped into action. In footage of the crisis available online, the fear in the crew members’ voices is obvious, as are their synchronized efforts.

Human error

Just over three months after the grounding happened, an independent report was published. Commissioned by the race organizers, the investigation was carried out by retired rear admiral Chris Oxenbould, ocean navigation expert Chuck Hawley and chairman of the US Sailing Safety at Sea Committee, Stan Honey – all experts in the field. It was revealed that a failure to do proper checks on the electric charts was the reason behind the grounding.

Skipper concurs

Australian skipper Chris Nicholson and Dutch navigator Wouter Verbraak have since agreed to the findings of the report. It was also stated that it was one of the best and worst moments the veteran sailors experienced in sailing. The best because of the teamwork involved in trying to save a yacht and nine lives.

Club Yacht

About the Author

ClubYacht, We love Yachts and Sea

Leave A Reply Form Cancel reply

Recent Posts

  • Yachting Gives Back to the Balearics
  • The Latest Trend in Sailing: Sailboat Hitchhiking
  • Hainan Island – The Hawaii of China
  • Paris 2024 – Sailing Takes a Bold Stand
  • God Nisanov and Zarakh Iliev’s Radisson Royal Flotilla

Recent Comments

  • Jean Bodman on Bernard Arnault’s Yacht Symphony

Categories

  • Destinations
  • famous yachts and their owners
  • News & Events

Tags

35th Rolex Middle Sea Race adventurous yacht owners americas cup australia Cannes Cannes Yachting Festival clubyacht disabled people sailing Engine manufacturers exotic destination Festival de la Plaisance de Cannes France French Polynesia French Riviera Galapagos Islands gender bender in sailing Lonesome George luxury yacht luxury yachts New Zealand Olympics Olympic sailing Rolex Middle Sea Race Royal Malta Yacht Club sailing sailing getaway Scenic Route sea life superyacht The Society Islands Tokyo tourism tropical climate UNESCO World Heritage Victory volcanic peaks Woman in Olympic games women Women in sports yacht yacht design trends Yacht Exhibition yachting destination yachts Yacht Sailing