Vendee Globe / Mike Golding, the first skipper to finish three times !

Mike Golding, skipper of Gamesa, crossed the finish line of the Vendée Globe at 18:38:26 UTC/GMT on Wednesday 6 February in 6th place, becoming the first person in the 24 year history of the solo, non-stop, round the world race, to finish successfully three times. Golding completed the iconic course in 88 days 6h 36m 26s, racing over 27,281 miles.

Credit : JM Liot/Vendee Globe

Vendee Globe / Mike Golding addresses keel issue; he's searching for solution at sea

Mike Golding onboard Gamesa has been working for the past 24 hours to resolve an issue with his keel. Investigations over the side of the boat with a camera yesterday evening revealed that the front fairing of the keel olive has been lost. With only ten days remaining for this, Golding's fourth Vendée Globe, solo, round the world race, a solution needs to be sought immediately to ensure Golding can reach the finish line in Les Sables d'Olonne, France.

Credit : M.Lloyd

Vendee Globe / Mike Golding Rounds Cape Horn For Sixth Time ! Remembers

Britain's Mike Golding OBE, on board Gamesa, during the 2012-2013 Vendée Globe celebrates becoming the first person in the world to race three times round Cape Horn in both directions - east to west and west to east. He rounded the fearsome Cape Horn today, Wednesday 9 January, at 02:05 GMT, becoming the only person to have raced around this infamous rock three times each way: west to east and east to west.

Credit : M.Golding/Gamesa

Vendee Globe / Mike Golding's feeling about Bernard Stamm, Alex Thomson in the direction of Cape Horn [#VG2012]

Commenting immediately after being told the news that Bernard Stamm was disqualified from the Vendée Globe for receiving outside help, Golding said, "While the decision might technically be correct, it doesn't feel right. Bernard, perhaps more than others, has worked extremely hard to get to this Vendée Globe and is a great competitor.

Credit : M.Golding/Gamesa

Vendee Globe / Mike Golding :"I must have done something wrong in a former life" (ITW)

Mike Golding spoke to Vendée Globe TV live by videolink on Saturday. Here is the transcript in which he talks of his frustration of being stuck in hole, how he still has podium hopes and - yes, he said it, how he's glad Jean Le Cam is close.

Credit : M.Golding/Gamesa

Logbooks / Alex Thomson back in the breeze, Mike Golding back on track

Day 29 – "Morning, after a few painful hours last night where the wind died right down to about 6 knots, I’m back in the breeze again this morning and am up and running. It’s quite gusty, as high as 28 knots at times, so no Sunday morning relaxing for me as I’ve been busy putting reefs in and taking them out again.

Credit : A.Thomson

Vendée Globe / Mike Golding and Alex Thomson in tough conditions

After a brutal 48 hours of tough, unstable conditions, big, untidy seas and winds which varied massively in strength, Mike Golding is consolidating this morning in slightly lighter winds making 13-14kts as he tries all he can to stay in touch with the leading group of five on the Vendée Globe.

Credit : M.Golding/Gamesa

Vendée Globe / Mike Golding passed the most isolated settlement, da Cunha (video)

As he heads down towards the Southern Ocean on Day 20 of the Vendée Globe, Mike Golding, skipper of Gamesa, passed the world's most isolated settlement, Tristan da Cunha. 
"In the background there is Tristan da Cunha. A tiny little island and somehow it came up smack in the middle of my track. It's been a real fight getting round it. It's a little bit of Britain in the middle of the Atlantic, 250 people and seven surnames. It looks amazing ….. It is a very ominous looking island; it does look very beautiful."

Vendee Globe / Mike Golding is about to cross Equator for 22nd time (video)

British solo racer Mike Golding will cross the Equator later today – his 22nd crossing in his sailing career. While he has had better passages through the Doldrums than he has experienced over the last 48 hours on the Vendée Globe, he has certainly had much worse. Having caught up some 200 miles on the race leader, and now feeling like he is again in touch with the ‘peloton’, he took time to briefly reflect.

Vendee Globe / Mike Golding :"Tomorrow, I will just want to get across the start line quickly"

Less than 24h to the start of Mike Golding OBE's fourth Vendée Globe start "Great atmosphere; very exciting"

Credit : Lloyd Images

Vendee Globe / Mike Golding :"I'm here to try to win it"

Five days to go before the start of the 2012-2013 Vendée Globe and Britain’s Mike Golding OBE is ready for the start of his fourth entry in the brutal race which is acknowledged as the pinnacle of solo ocean racing. The boat is packed, the final jobs list is completed and the 150kg of food for the 25,000 mile race around the planet is on-board.

Credit : M.Lloyd/DPPI/Vendee Globe

Imoca / Mike Golding finishes Transat B to B in fourth position

British solo ocean racing yachtsman Mike Golding, racing his IMOCA Open 60, Gamesa, crossed the finish line of the 2,620 miles Transat B to B solo transatlantic race off the north west corner of Spain in fourth place this morning. Completing his first major solo ocean race since December 2008, Golding was only 3h 28 mins off third place, which was taken by 2004-5 Vendée Globe winner, Vincent Riou on PRB.

Credit : Gamesa Sailing

Imoca / Back to Business for Mike Golding and the Gamesa Sailing Team

When Mike Golding was last racing solo on his IMOCA Open 60 it was in the harsh wastes of the Southern Ocean in December 2008. He was leading the Vendée Globe after again proving himself to be one of the very best in the tough conditions.

Credit : B. Stichelbaut

Transat Jacques Vabre / Golding’s first race with Gamesa Sailing Team delayed due to ‘storm of historical proportions’

A'storm of historical proportions’ sweeping its way across the Atlantic has put on hold the start of Mike Golding’s return to oceanic racing. Golding with his newly branded 60-foot monohull, Gamesa, was due to start the Transat Jacques Vabre, double-handed race from Le Havre, France to Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, this afternoon at 1302 CET. But at 0930 CET the Race Director, Jean Maurel announced the decision to delay the start until the storm, which has already caused Halloween havoc across the east coast of the United States of America bringing with it huge snow storms, has passed through the route due to be taken by the competitors.

“This is a very big storm that was described to me in a weather routing file as being of ‘historic proportions’ and I think it [the delay] is a wise decision. We have got so many boats here, so many different types of boat and we don’t want to divide the fleet, we think it best if we all set out together,” commented Golding.

Imoca / Mike Golding : partnership with Gamesa for the 2012 Vendée Globe

Mike Golding will be rejoining the IMOCA Open 60 circuit in partnership with Gamesa, and will be on the start line for the 2012 Vendée Globe with a newly optimised Owen Clarke IMOCA 60, Gamesa.

Credit : Mike Golding Yacht Racing