27th October 2009. Mike Golding Yacht Racing
Pictures of yachtsman Mike Golding (GBR) and co skipper Javier Sanso (ESP). Shown here whilst training their IMOCA Open 60 prior to the TJV start in Le Harve next month
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27th October 2009. Mike Golding Yacht Racing
Pictures of yachtsman Mike Golding (GBR) and co skipper Javier Sanso (ESP). Shown here whilst training their IMOCA Open 60 prior to the TJV start in Le Harve next month
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27th October 2009. Mike Golding Yacht Racing
Pictures of yachtsman Mike Golding (GBR) and co skipper Javier Sanso (ESP). Shown here whilst training their IMOCA Open 60 prior to the TJV start in Le Harve next month
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27th October 2009. Mike Golding Yacht Racing
Pictures of yachtsman Mike Golding (GBR) and co skipper Javier Sanso (ESP). Shown here whilst training their IMOCA Open 60 prior to the TJV start in Le Harve next month
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Looking surprisingly relaxed given the slow light winds which had slowed them through their final miles, Mike Golding and Javier Sanso finished the Transat Jacques Vabre on a perfect Caribbean morning, arriving into Costa Rica’s historic Puerto Limon – where in 1502 Christopher Columbus landed – to secure a hard won third place in race which winner Marc Guillemot had described as the toughest of his career. “ It is a good result for Javier and I. We were literally thrown together in the last weeks before the race. So for both of us it is a good result. We had no training time. The boat has not sailed this summer, the shore time did a great job of the preparation in the time scale, but we just had not put the time in on the water. So you look at Groupe Bel and Safran and you see two good boats, which are rightfully first and second. They are well sailed, great teams and good boats. But, we know in another world we could have done better but third for us is a good result,” commented Golding.
Sailing upwind through the gentle, long swell in just a gentle breeze Golding and Sanso eased the IMOCA Open 60 Mike Golding Yacht Racing through the finish line in the early morning to be greeted by a large, colourful and noisy crowd. Mike Golding Yacht Racing finished at 8:59 in the morning, Costa Rica time, 14:59h GMT. Their time for the course from Le Havre was 17 days, 1 hour, 29 minutes and 38 seconds.
This was Golding’s sixth Transat Jacques Vabre. It is the fourth time he has been in the top three, sailing three different IMOCA Open 60’s. But this was one of the toughest races, he explained on the dock. As well as two big storms which battered them through the second part of the first week, the duo struggled with a debilitating sequence of small problems which affected their ability to stay with the pace set by the leading pair, Safran and Groupe Bel. Given that their partnership was only forged a couple of weeks before the start, both were openly happy with their third placed finish.
They proved their tenacity, durability and experience when they weathered the second big low, during which they had to constantly hand steer due to the failure of their autopilots. They emerged from the storm in good shape and lay second for three days, but having lost both sets of wind indicators off the top of their mast, they were compromised from there on in. “ In the big long drag race after the storm, Groupe Bel and Safran started to pull away, and we had some technical problems and that was part of it, but we were trying everything. We were hand steering all the time, but I was seeing the weather files and they had two knots more pressure all the time. You kind of have to think that there is nothing wrong with your boats speed because we were doing exactly the same to the boats behind. So the reality is it was just expansion and compression. I don’t think, boat speed wise, we have a problem. Upwind and downwind this boat is quick, it is a polyvalent boat. It is good at everything and not brilliant at one thing.” “Both Safran and Groupe Bel are good boats. I think they did a great job. Safran in particular sailed a superb race, tactically they were right on the money. And they were very consistent and just did not seem to have any down days. You always assume you are the only one with problems, but the reality is probably half the boats who went through that storm came out with some kind of problem.”
For Sanso’s perspective he was delighted with the result especially after the storm shortly after the start and the electrical, wind and pilot issues: “It was a pretty tough race and we are happy with the result. Certainly when I look back and remember being in Le Havre and looking around at the standard of the fleet, and all the rock-stars of the IMOCA Open 60 world, I am very pleased to be in here with this result. Yes, it is a little frustrating that we had our problems which held us back, our electrics, battery and engine problems, but in the end it is a good result to be proud of. It was tough in the big storm. “ Two winners of the Vendée Globe, both sailing Farr designed Open 60’s will finish behind Golding and Sanso, including double winner Michel Desjoyeaux who won the last epic edition which finished in February. Desjoyeaux was due to finish later today, whilst 2004-5 winner Vincent Rioux lies eighth. Of the 28 skippers racing, 16 competed in the most recent Vendee Globe. For more images and more information go to:
http://www.owenclarkedesign.com/la/106 and:
www.mikegolding.com/TJVRound Up
For pre-start interview with Mike Golding about his boat go to:
Mike Golding - pre race interview
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