Golding, 49, who lives in Hampshire, is regarded as one of the world’s best offshore racing sailors.
Having sailed since childhood, Mike first came to public attention in 1992 as a skipper in Sir Chay Blyth’s revolutionary British Steel Challenge, when he led a crew of amateurs in this gruelling, inaugural race around the world, east about, against prevailing winds and currents.
In 1994, he established a new world record for the same east about circumnavigation, only this time alone. In doing so, he became only the second person to successfully complete this voyage bettering Chay Blyth’s original time by more than 125 days - a record Golding held for seven years.
In 1996/7, Mike won the BT Global Challenge round the world race, leading an amateur crew to victory in five of the six legs and achieving a combined lead of more than two days on his nearest rival.
In 1998, Golding and the entrepreneur Jørgen Philip-Sørensen CBE set up Mike Golding Yacht Racing to create and manage a commercial grand prix sail racing team. In that year, Golding commissioned the build of the team’s first Open 60 yacht and became the first British person to professionally manage an Open 60 campaign operating out of the UK.
In the same year, Mike was elected as Vice President of the International Monohull Open Class Association (IMOCA) and later became President of the IMOCA Technical Committee where he has been instrumental in the ongoing development of the Open 60 class rules, principally concerned with the safety aspects of a developmental class.
2001 saw the start of Golding’s successful partnership with the ecological cleaning products manufacturer Ecover; a partnership that has involved the establishment of an Academy for Youth Sailors from around the world.
During that year, Golding became the first person to have sailed around the world in both directions and the only British person ever to sail single-handed and non-stop around the world in both directions.
Representing Britain over the last decade, Golding has consistently been at the forefront of the professional Open 60 class, achieving podium positions in major events and setting three new world sailing records in the process.
Mike was FICO world champion 2005/6 and IMOCA world champion for two successive years 2004/5 and 2005/6; the first and only British sailor to hold this coveted title.
Golding is an Ambassador for the Royal Yachting Association and British Marine Federation’s Green Blue environmental awareness programme and has led initiatives to bring yachting and business together through high profile international sailing events starting from the UK.
In January 2007 he was awarded an OBE for his services to the sport of sailing.
He is the author of two books: "No Law, No God" published in 1995 by Hodder & Stoughton - ISBN 0-340-61817-5 and "Racing Skipper" published in 1999 by Fernhurst Books - ISBN 1-898660-57-3.
Born in Great Yarmouth, Golding spent 12 years as a Fire Officer in the Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service before pursuing his passion for sailing on a full-time basis.
New for 2009
Mike Golding OBE, Britain’s most successful solo offshore sailor has changed of tack for the 2009 sailing season competing with an Extreme 40 catamaran sponsored by his long time major sponsor Ecover.
Whilst the world is more used to seeing Mike Golding racing offshore, often alone with his IMOCA 60 yacht, is joined by a team of professional sailors to participate in the iShares Cup on an Ecover-sponsored Extreme 40 catamaran. The iShares Cup is about bringing sailing right into city centres with high tech, fast and furious Extreme 40 catamarans racing on tight racecourses close to the shore, enabling, where possible, spectator viewing from the shore. Each competing yacht is crewed by four pro sailors whilst one space onboard is reserved for a fifth man, normally a sponsor representative, client or journalist. Mike and his sailing team are competing against some of the world’s greatest sailors from a variety of disciplines within the sailing world. America’s Cup specialists, Olympians and World Record holders make up the most exciting and unusual sailor lineup of 2009.
Mike Golding - Skipper of ECOVER and Managing Director of Mike Golding Yacht Racing Ltd
- Sailed around the world five times; three times solo; three times east-about
- Crossed the Equator 22 times Rounded Cape Horn five times
- First person to have raced around the world in both directions (1993/4 and 2000/1)
- Only British person ever to sail single-handed and non-stop around the world in both directions (1993/4 and 2000/1)
- First British IMOCA World Champion (2004/5 and 2005/6)
- FICO World Champion (2005/6)
- Awarded OBE - January 2007
FICO – Forum International de la Course Oceanique – a Swiss non-profit association which works closely with the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) to encourage and contribute to the harmonious international development of ocean sailing Mike Golding - Synopsis of principal career events British Steel Challenge Group 4 Global Challenge British Admiral’s Cup Team BT Global Challenge
World Records
IMOCA – International Monohull Open Class Association – the official body representing the Open 60 class
1992/3 - second place.
Record for fastest crewed west-about circumnavigations with stops
1993/4 beat Sir Chay Blyth’s world record for single-handed, non-stop around the world against prevailing winds and tides by 125 days, held the record for 7 years
Selected following trials to skipper the Mumm 36 in the British Admirals Cup team in 2004.
1996/7 – first place. Won five out of six legs
1999 - third place (Co-skipper - Ed Danby)
2001 - second place (Co-skipper - Marcus Hutchinson)
2003 - third place (Co-skipper - Brian Thompson)
2005 - fourth place (Co-skipper - Dominique Wavre)
2007 - fifth place (Co-skipper - Bruno Dubois)
2009 - 3rd place ( Co-skipper - Javier Sanso)
Vendée Globe EDS Atlantic Challenge Route du Rhum Calais Round Britain and Ireland Défi Atlantique The Transat SNSM Record SNSM Record The Velux 5 Oceans The Transat Ecover B to B JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race 2008 Artemis Challenge 2008
2000/1 – seventh place.
Set course record for 4th fastest time despite dismasting & restarting race eight days after fleet
2004/5 – third place.
Completed the race without a keel, following total loss of his keel 50 miles from finish line.
2008/9 - retired. Dismasted whilst in the lead on Day 37 of racing, in the Southern Ocean.
2001 - 3rd place
2002 – second place. Broke event monohull record by two days
2003 – third place
2005 – second place
2003 – first place
2000 – third place
2004 – first place. Set new east-west transatlantic record
2006 – Winner
Crewed from Saint-Nazaire to Saint-Malo
Record holder in the Open 60 IMOCA Class: 1 day 8 hours 48 minutes 35 seconds
2008 - 7th
2006/7 – retired from race following rescue of fellow competitor, Alex Thomson, and subsequent dismasting in the Southern Ocean
2007 - Retired due to a number of technical issues
Winner - IMOCA Class
3rd place
