Career
He is one of the few yachtsmen to have raced round the world non stop in both directions. He held the solo record for sailing round the world westabout (the most challenging direction for circumnavigation) between 1994 and 2000. Golding led the team Group 4 to second place in the British Steel Challenge in 1992-1993.
He did one better in the next edition the British Telecom Global Challenge 1996-1997, taking first place with a new team of amateur sailors, again onboard Group 4.
Golding came seventh in the 2000–2001 Vendée Globe solo non stop round the world race having lost seven days to the dismasting of his Open 60, again called Group 4. His present Open 60 campaign is sponsored by Ecover, a Belgian ecological cleaning products company which has sponsored his team since 2001.
In the 2004 Vendée Globe, Golding finished third despite losing his keel — an accident which had caused boats in previous Vendée Globe races to overturn — on the last day of the race. He sailed the last fifty miles with a tiny sailplan to keep the boat upright.
In October 2006, he started the Velux 5 Oceans yacht race.
He rescued fellow sailor Alex Thomson in the Southern Ocean, then the yacht Ecover had a mast failure with them both aboard. He announced he was retiring from the race on making emergency landfall in Cape Town. Golding skippered the Ecover Sailing Team in the 2009 iShares cup, a selection of races all over Europe, sailing catamarans in fast, competitive races against world-leaders in this sport.
The races took place in Venice, Hyères, Cowes, Kiel, Amsterdam and Almeria.
With four races to go in the iShares cup event in Cowes Week (Isle of Wight), Golding"s team"s dagger board broke but the team still completed the last four races and finished second in the last race.