The winners of the Forum for the International Ocean Courses World Championship 2005 are Mike Golding and Ecover, his sponsor for the past two seasons. The prize-giving ceremony will be held at the London Boat Show.

The FICO rankings table for skippers takes into consideration the oceanic
events of the past two seasons with two transatlantic races in 2004 (The
single-handed Transat Plymouth-Boston and the fully-crewed transatlantic
from Quebec to Saint Malo) and four major races in 2005 (Vendée Globe,
Faraday Mill Ostar, Route de l’équateur, Transat Jacques Vabre).

With his victory in The Transat last year followed by third place in the
Vendée Globe, Mike Golding was virtually certain of winning the
championship even before the start of this season. His subsequent fourth
place in the last race of this year’s calendar, the Transat Jacques Vabre,
has comforted his position at the top of the rankings. His partners Ecover
are also logically crowned FICO World Champion Sponsor thanks to their
unfaltering support over the past four seasons.

The irony of the final standings this year is that Mike’s closest rival is
none other than the Swiss Dominique Wavre, Mike-Golding’s crew member in
the Transat Jacques Vabre who also finished just behind him in the Vendée
Globe. Dominique finishes the year just ahead of Vincent Riou, the winner
of the Vendée Globe 2004-2005.