Vestas Wind heads to Italy for repairs

Vestas Wind heads back to Italy where the ground crew will try to put the boat back together.

The Volvo Ocean Race’s boat’s stern was badly damaged when it hit a reef and ran aground just before Christmas in the Indian Ocean.

It’s difficult to imagine all the technology on board wouldn’t warn the crew. But reefs aren’t always exactly where they’re charted and at night, at the speed of those boats, it’s easier to do than we would think.

The ground crew made a plan for the repairs and will spend the next six months working on the boat. Will it go back in the race? The damage looks even more extensive in this video than it looked in earlier photos.

Here’s what they have to say: http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/video/33793_The-Malaysian-Operation.html

If you missed our link to Yachting World’s explanation of how this accident could happen, see: https://medium.com/@Sail_GreatLakes/yachting-world-explains-how-vestas-could-hit-a-reef-a99b5e6b1327