NewsFromTheShed's video: Mike Sanderson talks about Team Sanya Retiring from the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012

Team Sanya retired from Leg 1 on Monday, November 7 after suffering hull damage during rough conditions in the Mediterranean. Alicante, Spain -- On Monday, Team Sanya, the Volvo Ocean Race's first-ever Chinese entry, announced their official retirement from Leg 1, after sustaining serious damage to the bow of their boat, soon after leaving Alicante, Spain for Cape Town, South Africa. Mike Sanderson, CEO and skipper of Team Sanya, elaborated on the events at sea with a television interview Monday afternoon and reiterated the team's intention to get back in the race. Gripping on-board video shows footage of the hull damage, as the crew witnessed it first-hand on Sunday morning before they limped into the port of Motril, Spain for repairs. Sanderson says Team Sanya now face a major logistical challenge to get their boat to Cape Town and effect repairs before the in-port racing and the start of Leg 2 to Abu Dhabi. "We need to take the time to do some serious thinking and planning, assessing the logistical options and making the right choices that get us back in the race as soon as possible. We need to repair the hull perfectly; a rush job is not an option." "The repair is no small task. We have to chop out a large section of the boat and replace it -- normally a two to three week job, we will have to shoehorn it into seven days. But this is the Volvo Ocean Race and we will do what we have to do to make it happen." Sanderson summed up the disappointment that he and the entire Sanya team were feeling after the retirement and reiterated their commitment to return to racing as soon as possible. Team Sanya will release their shipping route and departure and arrival dates as soon as that information is confirmed. In an unrelated incident, bowman Andy Meiklejohn sustained an injury during a sail change in the extremely rough conditions on the first night. Once ashore, an assessment at the local hospital confirmed Meiklejohn had broken his foot. Meiklejohn has returned to England for surgery. Alicante, Spain -- On Monday, Team Sanya, the Volvo Ocean Race's first-ever Chinese entry, announced their official retirement from Leg 1, after sustaining serious damage to the bow of their boat, soon after leaving Alicante, Spain for Cape Town, South Africa. Mike Sanderson, CEO and skipper of Team Sanya, elaborated on the events at sea with a television interview Monday afternoon and reiterated the team's intention to get back in the race. Gripping on-board video shows footage of the hull damage, as the crew witnessed it first-hand on Sunday morning before they limped into the port of Motril, Spain for repairs. Sanderson says Team Sanya now face a major logistical challenge to get their boat to Cape Town and effect repairs before the in-port racing and the start of Leg 2 to Abu Dhabi. "We need to take the time to do some serious thinking and planning, assessing the logistical options and making the right choices that get us back in the race as soon as possible. We need to repair the hull perfectly; a rush job is not an option." "The repair is no small task. We have to chop out a large section of the boat and replace it -- normally a two to three week job, we will have to shoehorn it into seven days. But this is the Volvo Ocean Race and we will do what we have to do to make it happen." Sanderson summed up the disappointment that he and the entire Sanya team were feeling after the retirement and reiterated their commitment to return to racing as soon as possible. Team Sanya will release their shipping route and departure and arrival dates as soon as that information is confirmed. In an unrelated incident, bowman Andy Meiklejohn sustained an injury during a sail change in the extremely rough conditions on the first night. Once ashore, an assessment at the local hospital confirmed Meiklejohn had broken his foot. Meiklejohn has returned to England for surgery.