Golding continues Vendee assault

Life is good for Mike Golding, leading the charge for Britain in the Vendée Globe singlehanded round the world race.

Going into the third week of the 27,000-mile epic - that's equivalent to over 1,000 consecutive marathons, non-stop, 24 hours a day - he had fought his way not only into the top six but within striking distance of the two ahead of him as the top three slowed.

Golding's improving fortunes are down to three factors - weather which favours his Open 60, Ecover, good tactical thinking by taking a more westerly route south after exiting the Doldrums, and having developed a boat which can compete with the top French opposition.

Listen to Stuart Alexander talk to Mike Golding below.

Still leading are Loick Peyron in Gitana Eighty and Seb Josse, skippering Ellen MacArthur's BT, with another Frenchman, Jean-Pierre Dick third in Paprec-Virbac.

Second Brit is Brian Thompson, lying 11th in Bahrain Team Pindar, with Samantha Davies 13th in Roxy, Dee Caffari 16th in Aviva, Steve White 19th in Spirit of Weymouth and Jonny Malbon 20th in Artemis. Of the original 30 starters, 26 are still racing.

In the Indian Ocean, the eight on the second leg of the Volvo round the world race are now expected to be well ahead of schedule at the end, in Kochi, of what has become a 4,450-mile dash from Cape Town.

There is still the minefield of the Doldrums to cross, but the leg one winner, Ericsson 4, skippered by Torben Grael, is back in the lead, though always with teammates on an Ericsson 3, skippered by Anders Lewander snapping at his heels and sometimes grabbing the lead.

All of the chasing trio are hampered by damage. The American entry Puma, skippered by Kenny Read, has structural damage to the hull, Bouwe Bekking's Telefonica Blue has lost a daggerboard, and Ireland's Green Dragon, with Ian Walker as skipper, has a broken boom.

The winner could be home as early as Friday or Saturday, up to four days ahead of computer predictions.