Vendée Globe

Nationality : British Lives in Warsash Age : born on the 27th July 1960 Situation : Married, 1 child Vendée Globe achievements Second entry in the Vendée Globe (7th in 2000-01) Web Site http://www.mikegolding.com

Sponsor

Mr. Plus, Mr."Upwind"

There is no longer an entente cordiale in single-handed ocean racing! The pure French really have to hold on. It is no longer so easy for them to walk away as winners in events based around one man-one boat. The biggest continual threat comes from the other side of the Channel, as the British have honed their skills and can perform wonders in long distance solo events. Among them, Mike Golding, a former fireman and now a professional skipper, is unquestionably a serious contender. Ranked as one of the favourites, Mike has what it takes to win and as the most recent winner in The Transat and quadruple circumnavigator, he is just itching to show what he can do in the race around the three capes!



The appetite of an old sea dog


If we look back on the achievements of this British yachtsman, we can see that Mike has really become a top class specialist in the round the world voyage against the tides and currents… a truly professional upwind sailor in fact! That is maybe a bit simplistic, but it does show us the conditions in which this skipper excels, even in the worst storms.
It was back in the eighties that Mike started out in ocean racing. He then began to plough through the world’s seas in every direction as part of a crew. In 1992, he finished second in the British Steel Challenge (crewed round the world against the tides and currents) then two years later, he hammered things home by smashing the round the world record in this contrary direction in 161 days. Having set this reference time – beaten since by Philippe Monnet and VDH – he clearly proved beyond the shadow of a doubt his faultless tenacity, and is definitely a sailor to look out for.



Since 1998 onwards, Mike Golding has dedicated himself to solo racing. As time went by, at the helm of his first 60-foot Open, a Finot-Conq design, he was to achieve great success – 2nd in the round the world trip with stopovers and 3rd in the Transat Jacques Vabre – both of which were to stand him in good stead for the Vendée Globe. In the last edition, Mike lost his mast in the first 24 hours and saw his hopes of victory vanish. He did, however, finish in 7th place, powering his way past a large number of participants. Since then, Mike has got his hands on a new racing yacht, one of the most recent Owen-Clarke designs. An amazing craft, which – as you might expect! - has shown herself capable of some remarkable performances upwind… notably winning The Transat and setting a new reference time. This result may be seen as a warning after the last edition of the Vendée Globe, which was won and lost on the climb back up the Atlantic.

2004 - Aboard (new) Ecover
The Transat : 1st
Le 1000 milles de Calais : 2nd
2003 - Aboard (new) Ecover
Calais Round Britain Race: 3rd
Transat Jacques Vabre : 3rd
Défi Atlantique: 1st
2002 - Aboard (original) Ecover (now skippered by Conrad Humphries as Hellomoto)
Route du Rhum: 2nd
2001 Transat Jacques Vabre : 2nd (with Marcus Hutchinson)
EDS Atlantic Challenge : 3 rd
2000 - Vendée Globe : 7 th (aboard Team Group 4)
Europe1 New Man Star (now known as The Transat) : 3rd
1999 Transat Jacques Vabre : 3 rd
1998/99 - Around Alone, winner of the first leg before being forced to retire
1998 - Atlantic Alone : 2 nd
1996/97 - BT Global Challenge (crewed round the world against winds and currents with stopovers) : 1st
1993/94 - Single-handed round the world against winds and currents record in 161 days
1991/92 - British Steel Challenge (crewed round the world against winds and currents with stopovers) : 2 nd

Ecover renews its commitment to Mike Golding > Read
Mike Golding wins the Round the Island race > Read
Mike and the deep blue sea > Read

What’s been going on since the finish of the 5th Vendée Globe? > Read
An opening > Read
Two races in one > Read
The gang of newcomers > Read
The gang of eight, who are back again > Read

ECOVER > low-res / broadband

Mike Golding (Eng) > Listen Mike Golding (Eng) > Listen Mike Golding (Eng) > Listen