Nine crew members of a yacht which ran aground in the Indian ocean while competing in the Volvo Ocean Race have been rescued.
Tony Rae Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Team Vestas Wind, which includes New Zealanders Tony Rae and Rob Salthouse, was grounded on a reef near Mauritius during a tropical cyclone .
The crew abandoned their boat and took refuge in life rafts that they anchored to a dry section of the reef, while they awaited daylight and rescue.
Race Control reports the crew were rescued by coast guard and taken to Íle du Sud, where there's a house and some facilities.
The Chief executive of the race Knut Frostad says he's extremely relieved that the nine crew members are now safe and that nobody is injured.
He says plans are being made to transport the crew off Íle du Sud.
Another yacht invovled in the race was on standby to assist the grounded crew, but it's been released to complete the leg from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi.
