He still describes solo ocean racing as his first love.
His return, for his first ever Route du Rhum, is an entirely unexpected opportunity. He was approached out of the blue by a successful British entrepreneur Tony Lawson who offered him the chance to do this race as part of a double-edged programme for Team Concise.
Lawson’s objective is to help bring on younger British skippers and crew by giving them a top level platform to compete offshore with. This is the second year of the programme and Concise 2 is their second Class 40, a new Marc Lombard Akilaria design.
Already last year the young crew won the Class 40 World Championships, and this year with the new boat they won the Class 40 division in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland race.
Goss’ role within the team is to help, where he can, with coaching, mentoring and helping develop the short handed racing side of the programme, but with it comes the opportunity to take part in his first Route du Rhum.
Despite his relative lack of time on the boat, which so far probably amounts to less than 20 days in total and maybe 2000 miles – including delivering the boat to Gijon for the 2010 world championships Goss says he feels completely at home on the boat, as he might with some 250,000 ocean miles under his belt.
“Some boats like to please you and others you feel like you have to work for every mile, and this is a very happy boat. I am really delighted with her and could not really want for anything else. The miles I have done have been quality miles, though I have to say we have not been through a big blow, but I feel like with the experience I have that does not worry me too much.” Says Goss over a characteristic cup of tea in the cabin in DMS PACK IT IN.
It is strangely ironic that this Route du Rhum La Banque Postale really only features two die-hard British skippers, Goss and Tolkien both forerunners, in their own way, for following generations of solo and short handed sailors.
“ I am certainly saddened to find us the only Brits. You kind of wonder where all the youngsters are who should be cutting their teeth. It has been very hard to see them not here. It is very sad. But for us their really is an ulterior goal with Team Concise to try and help these youngsters, and so it would be great to see Tom Gall who is the boat captain, for there to be a vehicle like this to offer a platform for him to work from. I can think of nothing better than at the next skippers’ launch for a big race in Paris, for Tom to be there in his own right, and me to be sat in the audience.”
“And it is terrible that Phil Sharp (who won the class last time) is not here, terrible. But I do think the Class 40’s are a great stepping stone.”
Goss is objective about his prospects, admitting that he is fiercely competitive and raring to go:
Multi Hulls at dock in St. Malo (Photo by Colin Merry) Between ten and midday this morning it was time for the skippers to meet up and sit down for the first formal briefing of this ninth edition of the Route du Rhum La Banque Postale. Eighty six skippers attended and were addressed by Jean Maurel, the Race Director, Sylvie Viant who is in charge of the race committee, Pierre-Andre Saladay and Didier Querler, who are representatives of the 24F maritime survelliance, the Nantes customs, Stanislas-Xavier Azzis, representative of the 32 F maritime surveillance, Jean-Yves Chauve, doctor of the race, Didier Moreau, representative of the SNSM and mebers of CROSS. The key reminders about safety at sea were presented and points on the race Sailing Instructions were discussed.
Nighttime at the St. Malo docks (Photo by Colin Merry) 
