Current solo, round the world record holder Mike Golding and 1998 Yachtswoman of the Year, Ellen MacArthur have both confirmed their entry into the The Vendee Globe. The Vendee Globe leaves November 5th, 2000 from Les Sables D?Olonne, France and is a non-stop round the world solo circumnavigation held every four years. The field of twenty competitors spans 6 countries and will be vying to break the race record of 105 days, 20 hours, and 31 minutes established by Chirstopher Augin in the 1996/1997 Vendee Globe.
Golding?s extensive experience makes him a favorite. His accolades include beating the non-stop circumnavigation record with a 161-day voyage, a record that still stands. In 1993, he skippered Group 4 to overall victory in the 1996 BT Global Challenge, and most recently competed in the Transat-Jacques Vabre race from Le Havre to Cartegena.nGolding will helm Team Group 4, a state-of-the-art Open 60, designed by Groupe Finot.
Twenty-three year-old Ellen MacArthur will be on the Kingfisher Challenge 2000, another Open 60, under construction in Auckland New Zealand with a scheduled February 17 launch date. MacArthur won the 1998 Route du Rhum transatlantic race in an Open 50, won the Round Europe race, as well as competed in the Fastnet, Laser 4000 Eurocup and the Transat Jacques Vabre. Her newest vessel is narrower than the current Finot and Lombard designs sporting a cambered deck in the event of a capsize. A configuration of swing keel with asymmetric daggerboards have been chosen for performance and safety, with both near completion as the boat approaches its launch. The swing keel is complemented by water ballast for longitudinal trim and stability.
