Mike Golding and Javier Sanso have been slowly settling into their
rhythm and finding the pace through the first 24 hours of the Transat
Jacques Vabre from Le Havre to Porto Limon in Costa Rica.

The duo sailed a conservative steady first night, staying well in
touch with the main group of IMOCA Open 60’s whilst finding a pace
which would ensure they made no major boat handling errors through a
brisk first night. Fast reaching in up to 25-27 knots of breeze,
Golding lead with a prudent approach making slightly conservative sail
changes due to the relative lack of time they have had together
sailing the IMOCA Open 60 Mike Golding Yacht Racing.
Lying 12th this afternoon, Golding and Sanso are around 20 miles off
the leaders but making good speed.

Gremlins in the B&G wind instrumentation meant the British skipper
needed to spend time sorting out the problem, with the system refusing
the steer the boat to the true wind direction. Whether this is an
additional effect after a sudden electrical blackout which struck the
boat the day before they left, Golding did not speculate, but
certainly the minor headache did nothing to help them find their race
rhythm:
“ It was a good-ish night but a little bit difficult for us,. We are
new to each other. We had some pilot gremlins to begin with. Our pilot
not steering to true wind which we really needing that last night and
that made us tired and perhaps made us make a couple of easy options
sail changes rather than what we needed to do. But we are in the swing
of it now and we have not lost too much ground, so I am pretty happy
with where we are and how how the plan is developing for us.”

“We have just gone through this little ridge, heading towards the next
system. We are steadily getting headed and are really moving along
quite nicely right now.
We have a few boats around to judge our speed against.”

Of his Balearic co-skipper Golding said:

“He is doing good. I think that, like me, he was pretty tired last
night, we had long day yesterday, and he got a bit cold last night.
But now we have both had some rest and some food and we are feeling a
lot better now. We are just getting into the rhythym.”
“It was bound to be a little slow for us to start with. We have only
done the qualification sail together and he is completely new to the
boat and the boat is completely new out of re-fit. The gremlins with
our B&G network we have not absolutely nailed it, we still have a few
problems. The pilots now are at least reasonably reliable.”
“We had a breakfast which was shockingly bad. Breakfast in a tin,
beans, something resembling food, sausages, beans…..comfort food.”

Listen to audio clip from Mike Golding speaking from on board: