Vendee Globe - Gamesa's Mike Golding hopes he is stopping the rot

by Emily Caroe on 19 Dec 2012 As the leaders of the Vendée Globe pass the theoretical midpoint of the race this morning, Mike Golding is hoping he will now have stopped what he calls the ‘rot’: losing miles to the skippers ahead and behind.

Sailing for more than 24 hours in a high pressure ridge there has been nothing Golding could do to stem the loss of miles to Jean Le Cam ahead and Dominique Wavre and Javier Sanso, but he does feel that he is now in a better position as of this morning when Gamesa emerged into stronger winds again.

'I have just changed down again to full Main and Solent and so we are going better again, making good progress. There has been a steady rise in wind pressure and that feels more permanent and so hopefully now I can stop the rot a bit. It has been terrible. I don’t know if I did something to the Wind Gods but it has not been good.

'I was sailing dead downwind and had a few gybes to do through the night and so I was a bit knackered after that but I am glad I made them because it is not even like you feel they did you some good, but you just have to do it.

'Now I am hoping I can close on Jean a bit.

'It is grey, overcast and chilly, but not cold. In fact it is just another grey-out day.'

Mike Golding is hopefully joining the Vendée Globe Live English show with video from Gamesa at 1205 today at Vendee Globe 2012 2013