NOL:2005020035-W

In a remarkable feat of seamanship and tenacity British skipper Mike Golding today completed the Vendee Globe in third place, bringing Ecover across the finish line off Les Sables d'Olonne at 03h 17 m 13 seconds, despite losing his keel during yesterday afternoon. Golding completed his sixth complete circumnavigation of the world under sail.
Completing the 23,680 mile course after 88 days of racing only 1 day 4 hours and 27minutes and 18 seconds behind the winner Vincent Riou on PRB.
Golding sailed the final 50 miles of the course with a tiny sailplan to keep his boat upright. His final problem topped a frustrating 48 hours when he finally accepted second place had slipped away from him and all the time the conditons had become less pleasant and less favourable. On the dockside this morning he quipped that, his automatic thought was to retire, but his automatic resolve and resourcefulness kicked in.
While he worked through his crisis and came to a solution which finally saw him outstrip the speed of his sponsor's 67 foot support and hospitality boat - which had been called into action to observe and be on hand if the worst should happen - Golding admitted that even this morning after finishing his mind would still not let him believe that the keel had gone.
"It is such a fundamental part of the boat that even when we were coming into the dock this morning part of me would not believe it and I thought it was all just because I was so tired and hadn't slept for so long. "
"Yesterday I was going to come in to Les Sables d´Olonne disappointed with not being the winner, but happy with my race. Now I can´t complain abut my race. I´ve had a perfect race. I have a great boat, a great sponsor and a great team. "
"Everything about this race is exactly what I came back to it for. That is until the keel came off yesterday afternoon, which is a weird thing to say, and now I just feel lucky to finish. Lucky to be third and lucky to still have my boat. The boat has taken care of me. I'm just happy to be here. "
Quotes on Mike from the Boats still Racing
Bruce Schwab (Ocean Planet): "Mike did a really good job getting the boat in without a keel. When I read about it I thought my God! It's crazy! Fantastic! I'm so glad for him that he got the boat back to port. He was very skilful. He's a hero. "
Jean Pierre Dick (Virbac Paprec): "Hearing about Mike making it in without a keel sends shivers down your spine. There have been a lot of keel problems this year and I think we really need to get our heads together and discuss the issue. It's all a big question mark at the moment."
Anne Liardet (Roxy): "I am just overawed by the leaders' performances. Mike's finish was just mind-blowing. All of them were very, very fast. I left knowing that I'd be spending 120 days at seas and knew they would finish before me so I feel no bitterness about still racing."
Sébastien Josse (VMI): "Mike's finish was just extraordinary. He was lucky to have been so close to shore with such favourable conditions. It's miraculous. All the leaders traced some fine courses, Jean making a mistake and paying dearly for it."
Karen Leibovici (Benefic): "It would have been such a shame if Mike had been unable to finish the race. I'm delighted he has finished and that luck was on his side because as was not the case for Bertrand de Broc eight years ago."
Rod Carr (RYA Chief Executive): "We are incredibly proud of Mike's achievements and we are proud to have supported him as a member of RYA team GBR throughout the 2004 Vendee Globe. Sailing solo around the world is an enormous achievement in itself, wherever you finish in the race. This is where the Vendee Globe event is in a totally different league to other competitive sailing events such as the Olympics, where it's the podium position or nothing. This has been a remarkable race and the fact that Mike has been in the leading pack for a majority of it, and even taken the lead at one point, should really be commended. For him to have contributed to one of the closest finishes in round the world yacht racing and to score a podium position, is fantastic."
1. PRB (Vincent Riou)
2. Bonduelle (Jean Le Cam)
3. Ecover (Mike Golding)
4. Temenos ( Dominique Wavre): 821,1 miles from the finish
5. VMI (Sebastien Josse): 27,2 milles behind Temenos
6. Virbac Paprec (Jean Pierre Dick): 1167,7 miles behind Temenos