Mike Golding’s Open 60 - Back in the game
ECOVER was dismasted in mid December as she was leading the Vendee Globe. After returning to the UK on a container ship in February she has been at Endeavour Quay in Gosport and undergone a substantial refit and repair under the watchful eyes of Mike Golding and Boat Captain, Harry McGougan.
Harry takes up the story:
“The Open 60 got back to the UK in February and went into the boatyard at the end of February, and the keel was taken to JMV in Cherbourg for repair.”
“We surveyed the boat and found no structural problems, so we repaired the damage from when she was was dismasted, which were holes on the coachroof and deck as well as topsides and transom. Once the repairs from the dismasting were finished, we then made a small number of revisions to the boat - basically making better what was already there. Then in May she was repainted in her new white livery.”
“During this period the keel was beginning to be reengineered in Cherbourg. This took longer than we hoped as we were reluctant to rush into any major decisions. What had become clear at the end of the Vendee Globe was that the bonding that attached the composite head to the composite fin had cracked. It is difficult to know what might have happened, but whatever, it was not a good thing.”
“Therefore we have now taken off the composite head and made a metal one, which is glued and bolted to the fin. Engineering and mechanically-wise it is a much better fit and so far it looks as it should do and the configuration is right.”
“The mast was shipped back to the UK in March and once we had decided to do the Transat Jacques Vabre, we made modifications to the mast to try and avoid the spate of dismastings that we have seen across the Open 60 fleet. All this was finished at the end of July.”
“So other than a new set of sail’s that should be arriving in a couple of weeks, and getting the running rigging finished by the end of this week, we are more or less set for the TJV.”
Looking back on his first six months at Mike Golding Yacht Racing, Harry commented:
“It has been slightly frustrating in terms of the length of time that it has taken, which in the main has been due to the keel. But the boat is in good shape and back up to the standard that she was pre Vendee Globe and in some areas she is even better. We are hoping to take her sailing next week, so it will be good to see her back out on the water.”
For his part Mike has had a frenetic few months. In tandem to the refit of his Open 60 and finalising plans for the forthcoming IMOCA season, the Extreme 40 has been keeping him more than busy.
“It has been interesting juggling these two boats. I am really enjoying the Extreme 40. It is a completely different discipline to the Open 60, but there are also a lot of cross overs and it is good to learn new skills, which we may be able to adapt to the Open 60, and vice versa.”
“Harry and the team have done a great job and it will be good to get back out sailing next week and see our changes and modifications in practice.”
“As far as the Open 60 is concerned I am already looking to the next Vendee Globe. I will be doing the Transat Jacques Vabre later this year and we are in discussions with potential sponsors for the Barcelona World Race next year. However to reach the goal of entering the Vendee Globe in 2012, we do need to secure a new sponsorship to take the project forward.”