Mike Golding who will be sailing his Open 60 Ecover in the Vendee Globe non-stop, solo, round-the-world -race, has been pondering matters before the 9 November start.

* Regarding the boat: “This boat has been a bit of a bugger since the
beginning. Someone asked me the other day: do you treat your boat like a person or a tool? I had to admit she was more like a tool. This boat is definitely in the tool
department but hopefully she will do a good job for me and I suppose I might
grow to like it more as time goes on. I don’t think I’ll ever fall in love with
her but hopefully we can make friends. Right now we’re not hitting it off, at
all.”

* Regarding the race forecast for downwind conditions: “This, I have to say,
I wouldn’t mind at all because I think we are quite well placed for those
conditions and she’ll [Ecover] do a good job. The strengths of the Owen
Clark designs are upwind and downwind. Reaching is our weakest point of sailing so
I know I’ll have to work hard to hold my own reaching, harder than others I
think.”

Regarding his appraisal of the fleet: “I think from a total fleet angle
you’d have to look at Loick Peyron as having the most recent good track record.
Also Mich [Desjoyeaux], Vincent Riou, Seb Josse are all pretty strong contenders.
And from the UK I would say it’s still, despite his problems, Alex [Thomson],
and of course Brian [Thompson]. I think Brian is probably sitting on the fastest
boat. The general consensus is that boat’s got more potential than any other; with
a two metre bigger rig she’s certainly the most powerful, but the question is,
can he fulfil her potential? ”

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