Watch Nightmare Unfold Onboard Team Vestas While Hitting Reef at 19 Knots

Updated: December 6, 2014 (Originally published December 4, 2014)

An amazing video shows the moment the Team Vestas Wind crashed their 65-foot racing yacht into a reef in the middle of the Indian Ocean during the Volvo Ocean Race.

The boat was doing about 19 knots when it struck the reef on Saturday at approximately 1510 UTC. The nine crewmembers stayed onboard until the following morning, when they made the decision to abandon ship. The crew was eventually picked up by the local coastguard and taken to a remote islet known as Íle du Sud, where they spent three days trying to make it back to civilization.

“I’m really disappointed of course,” said Chris Nicholson, Team Vestas Wind’s 45-year-old Australian skipper, shortly after arriving in Mauritius.

“On the other hand, we have to realize how fortunate we are for everyone to be here in one piece, and to be healthy. It’s pretty amazing, so there’s a lot of emotions at the moment.

“The past four days have been very challenging for all of us, and I am extremely proud of the whole crew’s professionalism, composure, and endurance.

“It’s clear that human error is responsible for the shipwreck, there’s no avoiding that. And as skipper, I take ultimate responsibility.”

RELATED: Skipper’s Comments Draw Criticism

Check out the video of the grounding, abandoning ship and partial recovery below:

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