|
Die Skipper des Vendee Globe 2000/2001
Übersicht
Mike Golding
website : http://www.teamgroup4.com
Mike Golding was born in 1960, in the UK, and he lives in
Southampton. A former fire-fighter, Mike has raced yachts at
every opportunity, winning his class in the two-handed Azores
and Back race in 1983 and competing his own trimaran 'Gazelle'
in the single-handed Transatlantic race and Round Britain & Ireland race.
|
|
In 1991 he left his career in the fire service to become a professional
yachtsman, when he was selected to skipper the 67ft steel yacht 'Group 4'
in Sir Chay Blyth's British Steel Challenge. He narrowly missed winning the
race finishing second, just 70 minutes behind the winner after 151 days
racing. He soon found success however, sailing 'Group 4' the 'wrong way'
round the world to beat Sir Chay Blyth's solo non-stop record by 125 days,
setting a new world record of 161 days, recently smashed by Philippe
Monnet on 'UUNET' in January 2000.
In 1996/7, as skipper of 'Group 4' in the BT Global Challenge Golding &
crew won 5 of the 6 legs and won the race overall. In 1997, Mike Golding
moved to the Open 60 Class, with the building of 'Team Group 4', and in
1998 he raced to 2nd place in the Atlantic Alone Race. He went on to win
the first leg of the Around Alone Race, breaking the existing record for this
leg, and was leading leg 2 when he was forced to retire after his boat ran
aground off the coast of New Zealand.
Mike Golding came third in both the double-handed 1999 Transat Jacques
Vabre, with Ed Danby, and the 2000 Europe 1 New Man Star on 'Team
Group 4'. A solid, consistent performance from both Mike & the boat in
competition has put him amongst the front-runners to score another
podium finish in this Vendée Globe.
|
|
|