THE last time Team Group 4 was hauled out of the water by a crane was in January when Southampton yachtsman Mike Golding ran aground off New Zealand and was forced to quit the Around Alone Race.
This time, in Ocean Village yesterday, it was for happier reasons. Mike and his team upended the boat as part of a series of stability tests to ensure his Open 60, which recently came out of the French yard where it was built following an £80,000 refit, complies with racing rules for the Vendee Globe Race next year.
"It went very well - we did not break anything but it is a nasty looking thing to do because eight-and-a-half tons of boat is inclined on its side and there is a lot of strain going on," said Warsash-based Golding, who has completed three circumnavigations of the world, one as winning skipper of Group 4 in the BT Global Challenge Race.
Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article