Ecover Extreme 40 boat graphic. Image copyright Ecover.
by Emily Caroe
Last week the line-up for the 2009 iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series was announced although one team remained un-named... Now it can be confirmed that Britain's leading solo offshore sailor, Mike Golding OBE, will join the six-round series on board his Extreme 40 Ecover.
Mike became the first sailor to ever sail non-stop around the world in both directions and is one of just two British sailors to ever have stood on the Vendée Globe podium. He is also the only British sailor to hold the coveted IMOCA World Champion title in 2004/5 and 2005/6. So, from competing in events that normally take around 3 months, solo, non-stop, thousands of miles from shore, Mike is now stepping into the completely contrasting world of Extreme 40 racing.
Onboard the Ecover Extreme 40, Mike will be joined by one of the most experienced Extreme 40 sailors in the circuit, New Zealander Fraser Brown, alongside round the world sailor, Bruno Dubois (BEL), Managing Director of North Sails, France. Their bowman will be announced shortly.
"It's really exciting to see a top British sailing legend like Mike joining the iShares Cup," said OC Events Director Gilles Chiorri.
"Mike is joining an illustrious line-u p of skippers with plenty of offshore experience including Loick Peyron and Franck Cammas, as well as internationally renowned dinghy and multihull sailors like Shirley Robertson and James Spithill. All that experience on our tight race courses will provide some spectacular close combat - it promises to be a really exciting year," he concluded.
The Ecover team has been training in the South of France for the past week. "Anyone who knows me, knows that I have always a passion for multihull sailing. I am therefore truly delighted that Ecover is supporting our Extreme 40 campaign," commented Golding. "We just can't get enough of this amazing boat!
"I am clearly really exited to be joining the iShares Cup circuit this season with the Ecover Extreme 40, sailing against such a variety of talented sailors is an unparalleled opportunity in the sport and I am sure that this will be the regatta yachting event of 2009," he concluded.
The international launch of the 2009 Series will take place in Paris on 5 May 2009 where all ten skippers will come together to celebrate the start of what promises to be an unprecedented season of top-class multihull action.
2009 Entries iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series:
BMW ORACLE Racing (USA) - James Spithill (AUS)
BT (EUR) - Nick Moloney (AUS)
Ecover (EUR) - Mike Golding (GBR)
Holmatro (NED) - Carolijn Brouwer (BEL)
iShares (EUR) - Shirley Robertson (GBR)
Gitana Extreme-Groupe LCF Rothschild (FRA) - Yann Guichard (FRA)
Groupama 40 (FRA) - Franck Cammas (FRA)
LUNA (FRA) - Erik Maris (FRA)
Masirah (OMA) - Pete Cumming (GBR)
Renaissance (OMA) - Loïck Peyron (FRA)
2009 Venues iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series:
Event 1 - Venice, Italy, 15th-17th May
Event 2 - Hyères-TPM, France, 3rd-5th July
Event 3 - United Kingdom, 1st-3rd August
Event 4 - Kiel, Germany, 28th-30th August
Event 5 - The Netherlands, 25th-27 th September
Event 6 - Almería, Andalucía, 10th-12th October
iShares Cup
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