Team Vestas Wind skipper Chris Nicholson has been reliving a nightmarish second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race after flying back to Mauritius to help oversee the retrieval of his stranded boat.
The 45-year-old flew on Wednesday to ultimately get out to the remote Indian Ocean reef where the Vestas vessel was grounded three weeks ago.
Nicholson is joining the team’s shore chief Neil Cox, one of the most experienced men in the business, although the challenge to free the stricken Volvo Ocean 65 boat from the grip of the reef in the Cargados Carajos Shoals (St Brandon) is a new one, even for him.
It has been there since November 29, when the boat ran on to the rocks at around 19 knots (35 kph), and forced Nicholson and the eight other men on board to abandon ship.
“The ultimate plan is to get the boat buoyant enough to float across the lagoon to get it into more protected water,” Cox said.
“That would stop it disintegrating out on the reef, and, at the same time, once we get to the other side of the reef, gives us the chance to set it up in a controlled fashion to either be able to tow the boat back to Mauritius, or to use the derrick of the Maersk Line ship coming here on Monday to get it on board.”
Cox, who has worked with fellow Australian Nicholson on two previous Volvo Ocean Race campaigns, added: “The race has taken me through some pretty bizarre scenarios, but I would say that this one is unique.”
Nicholson and Cox set up the recovery operation in the Mauritian capital of Port Louis, liaising with local resources, chartering a boat they will use as a mother ship, getting all the necessary tools through customs and the permits to go back to the archipelago 430km away where the boat lies.
Cox added: “The ship has the facilities for us to live onboard, because there is no way for us to stay on the island. We’ve also chartered local fishing boats to cross the lagoon every day.
“We want to bring as much of the boat back as possible. If anything can be recycled or used for a potential new boat, we have to do everything in our power to make that happen.
“The reality is, it’s a very dangerous workplace we’re going to. It doesn’t have all the nice things we have in the stopovers. It’s in the middle of the ocean. We’re on our own.
“And, while I’d avoid the cheap shark headlines, yes, there is a lot more activity (of sharks) on the reef at night time.”
