Mike Golding and crew onboard Ecover are on the rampage and chasing the lead in the final stages of the Calais 1,000 miles race.

Thanks to a beneficial positioning round a high pressure moving to the east, the leading pair (Bonduelle and Ecover) have separated from the rest of the fleet and are now vying with the tides in the Channel before rounding a mark at Dover and crossing to Calais.

Ecover has chosen a more central route through the Channel than the leading French boat Bonduelle which is sticking much closer to the English coast in the Weymouth area.

Golding explains, “We’ve had very light weather over the last few hours, with very little wind, but we’re on the move again now. We’ve got a light northerly, which is very shifty, so we’ve changed sails many times. In these conditions it is difficult making gains, but there’s still some options in the Channel and always a chance to try a different route. Our goal is to win, not to come second, so we don’t just want to follow Bonduelle.”

The leading boats are expected to reach Calais tomorrow afternoon/evening and it is all to play for.

Ranking / Skipper / Boat / Distance to Finish / Distance to Leader

1 Jean le Cam, Bonduelle, 170.2

2 Mike Golding, ECOVER, 198.8, 28.6

3 Jean-Pierre Dick, Virbac, 295.7, 125.5

4 Vincent Riou, PRB, 339.3, 169.2

5 Joé Seeten, Arcelor Dunkerque, 349.2, 179

Retirement:

Roland Jourdain, Sill