Mike Golding Dismasted Sailing in the Vendee Globe - UPDATED with Video

Southern Oceans - Mike Golding, a favorite to win this year's Vendee Globe around the world yacht race, has been dismasted.  Mike was leading the fleet, sailing his Open 60 yacht Ecover about 830 miles south of Cape Leeuwin, Australia Tuesday morning when the damage occurred. "I was below deck when a squall came through with winds of 55 knots" said Mike to his shore team.  "It basically went from being a near gale to a hurricane, and the mast didn't like it."

Mike explains what happened next. "I was just getting into my jacket and going out on deck when the boat rounded up and then heeled right over.  I heard a bang and immediately went back below and waited until the noise had stopped. The whole rig is down, there is not even a stump left!"

"Once everything had settled down a bit I went back out and the mast was lying across the deck and was acting as an anchor.  When things stopped moving about dramatically I set about cutting off the rig. There is some superficial damage to the boat, but nothing major."

"My options now are controlled by what I can set up as a jury and unfortunately I don't have much left.  I am about 970nm from Perth and Fremantle, so whatever the deal is I will have to cover some 1000-odd miles, somehow. I managed to save the boom but have lost all my sails, other than storm staysail, but this will probably fit and then I will work out how to fly something off the back of that. But whatever I do, I will only be able to reach and will not be able to go up or downwind."
 
"I am gutted. But there is not much I can do about it." 

What a disappointment for Mike, who sustained damage in the last edition of the Vendee Globe race as well.  He told YachtPals recently that avoiding gear failure was his biggest challenge in sailing around the world non-top, and we are all saddened to see Golding was correct in his fears. "People are always going to say storms, and icebergs, and all of that is a big fear, but unnecessary gear failure is just devastatingly frustrating - particularly when you're doing well in a race," said Mike before setting out from France, in what sounds now like an eerie prediction.

Updated December 17, 2008

Mike Golding sent in videos this morning of the damage to his yacht Ecover 3. He also tells us he is holding up well, and is sailing for port under jury rig.

"I got the Jury Rig up this morning and thought I would leave it at that, but I got bored and put the storm staysail up as well!  The bad weather is kicking in now and we have got 40knots of wind forecast.  The boat is mainly going at about five knots, sometimes higher, but I am not able to point very well - as long as it blows it will be alright. In terms of fuel I am better off than I thought I was as I have a full starboard tank and a little left in the port tank.  So I reckon I could motor for about 500 miles if I needed to and I should be able to motor sail and get some relatively good speeds. I didn’t have a real plan for the jury rig.  I just went out and tied bits of string and blocks together and just tried to figure out the easiest way of doing it.  I have used the boom on its’ existing toggle. There is not enough articulation for it to go upright so it is at a 15-20deg rake aft.  The staysail is set out using the gennaker tack line as a forestay and there are three other forestays. I have rigged two-to-one backstays with webbing struts at the top.  So all in all it is pretty sturdy little rig."

High Quality Sailing Video: Mike Golding sailing Ecover 3 in the Vendee Globe speaks on camera and show his dismasted boat in the Southern Ocean. Mike also thanks all for their support.

Tip: To view high quality video full screen click TV icon on player above.

READ MORE ABOUT Mike Golding:

• Mike Golding Interview
• ECOVER 3 - Mike Golding

Low Quality Sailing Video below.