EDS Challenge Portsmouth to Baltimore starts today

by MRP on 14 Jul 2001 After a brief stopover in Portsmouth, UK, Mike Golding and his ECOVER crew
will set off on Leg 3 of the EDS Atlantic Challenge tomorrow (Saturday 14th
July) afternoon at 1730 hours local time - 3430 miles across the Atlantic
to Baltimore on the East Coast of the United States.

Joining Golding for Leg 3 is Conrad Humphreys fresh from his victory in the
recently finished BT Global Challenge. The two have much in common -
always a keen racing sailor, Golding left his career in the fire service to
become a professional skipper competing in the 1991 British Steel
Challenge. Golding and his crew narrowly missed winning that one by just
70 minutes after 151 days of racing. In the 1993/94 BT Global Challenge
Golding and crew won 5 of the 6 legs and took the Princess Royal Trophy for
winning the race overall. Just two weeks ago Humphreys and his crew on LG
Flatron sailed into Southampton to a tumultuous welcome to collect the same
trophy as overall winners for the 2000/01 event.

Conrad Humphreys commented 'This is a tremendous opportunity for me to join
Mike and team ECOVER for the EDS Atlantic Challenge. Racing across the
Atlantic in a powerful Open 60 will be a real learning curve for me and I
am joining a team with some great experience. Winning the BT Global
Challenge on board LG Flatron was about teamwork and this will be the
same'.

Humphreys' sponsor Andrew Mullen, New Product development Manager of LG
Electronics UK Ltd said 'Conrad has shown himself to be a truly
professional sailor during the BT Global Challenge and LG Electronics was
thrilled to have him as the skipper of the winning yacht LG Flatron. We
wish him every success with his latest venture.'

Humphreys replaces Miranda Merron on board ECOVER for this transatlantic
leg while the rest of the crew remains unchanged with Nigel King, Alex
Sizer and Graham Tourell. All on board ECOVER are ready to go and the boat
is in good shape - all they ask is that this time it is downhill all the
way! After two tough upwind legs surely a change is due? Only time will
tell…