Mike Golding (born 27 August 1960) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

yachtsman, born in Great Yarmouth and educated at

Reading Blue Coat School ('Truth Conquers All) , established = , closed = , type = Independent day school Public school , religious_affiliation = Church of England , president = , head_label ...

. He is one of the few yachtsmen to have raced round the world non stop in both directions. He held the solo record for sailing round the world westabout (the most challenging direction for circumnavigation) between 1994 and 2000. Golding, who was named president of the Little Ship Club in 2017 and is a member of Royal Southampton Yacht Club, is the eponymous co founder of the commercial company Mike Golding Yacht Racing Ltd. His partner in this venture was Jorgen Philip-Sorensen (d.2010). Golding led the team ''Group 4'' to second place in the British Steel Challenge in 1992–3. He did one better in the next edition the BT Global Challenge 1996–7, taking first place with a new team of amateur sailors, again onboard ''Group 4''. Golding came seventh in the 2000–2001

Vendée Globe --> The Vendée Globe is a single-handed (solo) non-stop round the world yacht race. The race was founded by Philippe Jeantot in 1989, and since 1992 has taken place every four years. It is named after the Département of Vendée, in France ...

solo non stop round the world race having lost seven days to the dismasting of his Open 60, again called ''Group 4''. His present Open 60 campaign is sponsored by Ecover, a

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ecological cleaning products company which has sponsored his team since 2001. In 2004, he won the IMOCA World Championship and successfully defended his title the following year, in which he also won the 2005 FICO World Championship. In the 2004 Vendée Globe, Golding finished third despite losing his keel — an accident which had caused boats in previous Vendée Globe races to overturn — on the last day of the race. He sailed the last fifty miles with a tiny sailplan to keep the boat upright. In October 2006, he started the Velux 5 Oceans yacht race. He rescued fellow sailor Alex Thomson in the Southern Ocean, then the yacht ''Ecover'' had a mast failure with them both aboard. He announced he was retiring from the race on making emergency landfall in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. In March 2007 Golding announced a technical partnership with fellow British

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

Dee Caffari Denise "Dee" Caffari MBE (born 23 January 1973) is a British sailor, and in 2006 became the first woman to sail single-handedly and non-stop around the world "the wrong way"; westward against the prevailing winds and currents. In February 200 ...

to allow both the UK entries in the

2008–9 round the world yacht race to work together. Golding skippered the

Ecover Sailing Team The Ecover Sailing team competed in the 2009 iShares Cup, showcasing world class racing around Europe. The races take place in Venice, Hyères, Cowes, Kiel, Amsterdam and Almeria, and the rebranded, 2010 Extreme Sailing Series. Sponsors Ecover, ...

in the 2009 iShares cup, a selection of races all over Europe, sailing catamarans in fast, competitive races against world-leaders in this sport. The races took place in Venice, Hyères, Cowes, Kiel, Amsterdam and Almeria. With four races to go in the iShares cup event in Cowes Week (Isle of Wight), Golding's team's dagger board broke but the team still completed the last four races and finished second in the last race. Golding lives with his wife and son in

Warsash Warsash is a village in southern Hampshire, England, situated at the mouth of the River Hamble, west of the area known as Locks Heath. Boating plays an important part in the village's economy, and the village has a sailing club. It is also home ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

, near

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

Career highlights

References

*'Mike Golding', ''The Observer'', 13 February 2006 (London).

External links

Mike Golding Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Golding, Mike Single-handed circumnavigating sailors 1960 births Living people English male sailors (sport) World champions in sailing for Great Britain 2000 Vendee Globe sailors 2004 Vendee Globe sailors 2008 Vendee Globe sailors 2012 Vendee Globe sailors British Vendee Globe sailors Vendée Globe finishers People educated at Reading Blue Coat School Sportspeople from Great Yarmouth Extreme Sailing Series sailors