Volvo Ocean Race: Mast breakage near the Falkland Islands - Vestas crew uninjured

The chain of dramatic events in the Volvo Ocean Race continues unabated: After John Fisher's fatal accident last Monday and survival mode in the Southern Ocean, the fleet of the front six boats had just passed Cape Horn on Thursday. Then came the next piece of bad news on Friday: Team Vestas 11th Hour Racing announced that the mast had broken! The accident occurred around 100 nautical miles south-east of the Falkland Islands. The crew was not injured and is safe, according to the organisers. The mast broke above the first spreader and has already been cut away by the crew to prevent further damage to the hull.

At the time of the mast breakage, the blue boat of the Vestas 11th Hour Racing team was sailing in northerly winds of between 25 and 30 knots and waves around three metres high. After the serious collision with a fishing boat off Hong Kong, in which one of the fishermen died shortly before the end of the fourth leg, the team had only just returned to the race with renewed vigour for this seventh leg. Whether the mast breakage is possibly a late consequence of the collision can only be determined by detailed examinations in the next harbour.

The crew will sail to the Falkland Islands under their own power, examine the damage there and decide on the next steps. The main aim is to find a solution for getting the boat to the Brazilian port of call, Itajaí, as quickly as possible. The crew does not expect to need assistance from the other crews in the Volvo Ocean Race or the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC).