Volvo Ocean Race
- Thread starter shemandr
- Start date
If you read and listen to what other crews had said about that area, the atoll was going to be very difficult to see at night... which is what happened. They were all sailing pretty close to the area. I think your little snip about "in ocean racing" is unwarranted as you were not there, doing the sailing, knowing what their tactics were.... Hindsight is 20/20 but, in your case it must even be better. So when are you going to do the Vendee Globe seeing as you are an expert in all things ocean racing and all.
Interview with skipper here;
http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/news/8091_Nico-s-words.html
I agree that the other crews that passed it during the day said it was going to be a problem at night. Notice none of them radioed the other boats.
It is a rare event to run aground in open ocean sailing, so I don't really see making the distinction as a snipping remark. When I first heard the news, my very first thought was how the hell do you do that? Then I remembered they were close to the islands.
It is a rare event to run aground in open ocean sailing, so I don't really see making the distinction as a snipping remark. When I first heard the news, my very first thought was how the hell do you do that? Then I remembered they were close to the islands.
I was not there either and have never done a Vendee Globe, so perhaps I am making an unwarranted assumption in believing that hitting St Brendon was not part of the plan.
As I understand it St. Brendon is on the electronic chart but one has to zoom down to detail to see it. I don't have a paper chart of that region of the ocean to see if the atoll is on one. It would be interesting to see if it is. But in my judgement if St Brendon in on a chart, paper or electronic, it is inexcusable to have hit it, particularly given the resources available to Volvo Ocean Race teams. Tell me it was a cruiser using a sextant, then I'd give the navigator a pass. It is a "low island, hard to see even in day light" is valid if it is not charted, but only if it is not charted. If it is on the chart, then it was a navigational blunder of epic proportions.
Well said. The cluster of reefs that make up St. Brendon are even clear as day on Google Maps. Even Wikipedia has a dedicated page with the following coordinates for the various reefs ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Brandon ):
In the past, Cargados Carajos was a large, volcanic island (part of the Mascarenes, caused by the Réunion hotspot). Over time however, the island eroded until it became submerged and a coral atoll was left behind.
The formation might be considered an atoll. Individual islets on the reef include, from north to south, with their respective locations:
Albatross Island 16°15′0.0″S 59°36′0.0″E 1.01 km²
Îlot du Nord (North Island) 16°19′0.0″S 59°39′0.0″E
Île Raphael 16°27′0.0″S 59°37′0.0″E
Îlot Siren 16°28′0.0″S 59°34′0.0″E
Île Tortue 16°28′0.0″S 59°41′0.0″E 0.13 km²
Pearl Islet (Île Perle) 16°31′0.0″S 59°32′0.0″E
Île du Sud 16°32′0.0″S 59°32′0.0″E
Avocare Island (Avoquer) 16°35′0.0″S 59°40′0.0″E 0.02 km²
Petite Capitane 16°36′0.0″S 59°34′0.0″E
Grande Capitane 16°40′0.0″S 59°50′0.0″E
Mapare Islet 16°35′0.0″S 59°41′0.0″E 0.4 km²
Frigate Islet (Île Frégate) 16°37′0.0″S 59°31′0.0″E
Îlote du Paul 16°37′0.0″S 59°33′0.0″E
Puits A Eau 16°39′0.0″S 59°34′0.0″E
Baleine Rocks 16°41′0.0″S 59°30′0.0″E
Île Veronge (Verronge) 16°41′0.0″S 59°37′0.0″E
Veronge Ilot 16°42′0.0″S 59°38′0.0″E
Île Poulailer 16°44′0.0″S 59°46′0.0″E
Palm Islet 16°45′0.0″S 59°35′0.0″E
Chaloupe 16°49′0.0″S 59°50′0.0″E
Courson 16°48′0.0″S 59°30′0.0″E
Coco Island (île aux Cocos) 16°50′0.0″S 59°30′0.0″E 0.5 km²
Sorry, but it hard not to draw similarities to Asiana Airways flight #214...
Here is a sequence of the teams passing the reef in question at 8:31 (UTC), 9:54, 15:53, 19:35 and 20:58.
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Here is Team Abu Dhabi's navigation screen that depicts the location of Team Vistas on the reef. Full video here: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=838428976180501&set=vb.204760639547341&type=2&theater
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So... to prevent this thread from falling off the New Posts page... I'd venture the uninformed opinion that it looks like Mapfre has made maybe 40 miles on the leading boats with its gambit to the east. Reports from Mapfre state flat out that they've taken a flyer. I'm still not understanding how they lost that distance but now maybe busting a move is the way back. Big risk - we'll see about the reward.
Disclaimer: My posts are meant to stimulate dialogue about this race. They are not about my knowledge or lack of it.
Disclaimer: My posts are meant to stimulate dialogue about this race. They are not about my knowledge or lack of it.
So what's the story on the grounded crew? They now string pullers for other boats? Or taken elsewhere?
I don't think they are pulling strings for any other contestants. From what I read, and saw in video I think they were evacuated by local authorities and maybe Alvimedica. Details were a little sketchy. I haven't read anything about a salvage effort but a lot of valuable stuff was taken off. Sounds ball-gameous.
They are in Mauritius with everything they could salvage from the boat. Alvimedica is well on their way back in the race.