Having recovered the Vestas Wind in better-than-expected condition, Team Vestas Wind will repair the Volvo Ocean 65 at Persico Marine in Italy and plan to re-enter the race in Lisbon in late May.
Vestas Wind ran aground in the Cargados Carajos Shoals in the Indian Ocean just over a month ago where all crew members were safely rescued.
Initial concerns that returning to the race might not be possible were overcome when skipper Chris Nicholson returned to the reef with shore crew and a salvage team in mid-December to recover the boat and assessed that it was probably reparable.
“We got the boat off the reef in better condition than we thought possibl e,” Nicholson said. “There are large portions of the deck that can be reused and a lot of other components within the structure. We’ll rebuild our boat just as we rebuild our hopes and dreams.”
The damaged boat has now arrived in Malaysia after being picked up by a Maersk Line container ship that diverted to the area of the crash site in December. A thorough assessment of the damage will now be carried out and the Volvo Ocean 65 will soon be on its way to join Team Vestas Wind’s shore and sailing crewmembers to begin repairs at Persico Marine in Italy.