Golding finishes sixth in the Vendée Globe

When British skipper Mike Golding on Gamesa crossed the finish line of the Vendée Globe at 18h 38m 26s UTC yesterday (Wednesday 6 February) he took sixth place. He became the first sailor ever to finish three Vendée Globe races and finished just 6 hours 23 mins and 28 secs behind his French rival Jean Le Cam who he has been duelling with over fifth since early December.


Golding's elapsed time is 88d 06h36min 26s. His average speed over the theoretical 24,393 miles course is 11.5kts. He actually sailed 27,281 miles on the water at an average speed of 12.9 kts. He finishes 10d 04h 19m and 46s behind the race winner François Gabart.

The British skipper had to reduce speed during the final 36 hours of the race when the gale force winds and big seas increase the ingress of water into his boat due to leaks in the keel box following the loss of a fairing at the front of the keel head.