Charlie Dalin celebrates an emphatic win in the 10th edition of the Vendée Globe
by Ed Gorman / IMOCA Globe Series 15 Jan 01:34 AEDT
14 January 2025
Charlie Dalin (FRA) is photographed after winning the Vendée Globe, on January 14, in Les Sables d'Olonne, France © Vincent Curutchet / Alea
In one of the sweetest victories in sailing, the French skipper Charlie Dalin today completed an emphatic win in the 10th edition of the Vendée Globe solo round-the-world race, in so doing banishing the demons from four years ago.
Then Dalin took line honours on debut, but became the first skipper in the history of the race to be demoted on corrected time to second overall.
Anyone who knows him could see how determined Dalin was to go one better this time. And he has now done so in masterful style, after setting sail as many people's favourite, and then dominating this race from halfway through the descent of the Atlantic.
The modest 40-year-old skipper who grew up in Le Havre, is not a man given to hyperbole, but today the relief and joy was all too obvious as his yacht MACIF Santé Prévoyance crossed the finish line off Les Sables d'Olonne in a new record time of 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes and 49 seconds.
"I don't think I've ever experienced emotions like these before," said Dalin. "This is by far the best finish line I've ever crossed. Today, I can confidently say I'm the happiest man in the world."
Then he reflected on the journey since the last race that saw Dalin and his team build a new foiling IMOCA to the design of Guillaune Verdier, and demonstrate in a series of race wins just how fast that boat could be in his hands on all points of sail.
"Winning the Vendée Globe in 2024 has been a dream of mine since the conclusion of the Vendée Globe 2020. We've worked tirelessly over the past four years to make this dream a reality. The boat was incredible, and everything we've lived and worked for came together in this moment," he said.
Dalin reflected too on the race itself and how quickly it seemed to have gone by. "It felt like a 48-hour sprint," he joked. "It's hard to believe it is already over. While I faced some minor challenges along the way, the boat held up beautifully and that's thanks to the incredible work of the team. I felt like I had a true gem in my hands throughout the race."
For much of this Vendée Globe Dalin battled with two French rivals Sébastien Simon, who is on course to finish third on board Groupe Dubreuil, and his old rival Yoann Richomme, with whom he was in a match race since passing New Zealand. Richomme, on Paprec Arkéa, was about 150 nautical miles from the finish when Dalin arrived and is expected overnight.
Dalin paid generous tribute to him. "The battle with Yoann was awesome," he said. "He sailed an outstanding race, pushing hard in the South and attacking relentlessly. It's thanks to him that this race was so fast-paced. His constant pressure made every moment of the journey a challenge and this intense rivalry is what allowed us to set these records."
So Dalin is now the fastest solo sailor to circumnavigate the planet non-stop. He not only beat the old 74-day race record set by the French skipper Armel Le Cleac'h in 2017, he did so by an incredible nine days and eight hours. It's a feat that underlines just how well Dalin and Richomme sailed, and how potent the latest IMOCA foiling yachts are, something that was not so evident during the last race.
Dalin has always been a fast starter and an unrelenting, almost metronomic competitor. He got away at the start of this race well and led at Cape Finisterre, but then endured a tricky phase in the north Atlantic as the fleet headed south in light airs. A key moment came off the Brazilian coast when the Macif Santé Prévoyance skipper pounced on a low pressure system and then led a charge across the South Atlantic in a straight line towards South Africa. The pace was punishing and gradually many of his rivals began to lose touch as Dalin, Richomme and Simon emerged into the Southern Ocean in the lead.
The next key moment came when Dalin and Simon elected to sail ahead of an intense low pressure system deep in the Indian Ocean while others - among them Richomme - headed north to avoid the worst of the winds. It was another statement by Dalin - he was taking this race by the scruff of the neck.
Although Richomme caught up in the South Pacific and took the lead in the South Atlantic, Dalin re-established his dominance off the Brazilian coast and held the initiative to the finish, on what proved a direct course back to the Bay of Biscay.
The Ocean Race-winning navigator Simon "SiFi" Fisher helped Dalin with his meteorological preparations before the start of the race and has admired his performance throughout.
"Charlie did a great job," said Fisher. "He sailed very smart - he's obviously a very talented sailor and you sensed, as a naval architect, he was very dialled into his boat.
"For me," Fisher added, "it was a combination of good tactics and strategy, and good boatspeed and using those two things when he needed to. You can easily run yourself into a big rut in these races and push too hard, but I think Charlie did a really good job of knowing when to put the hammer down and build a lead, and when to be a little bit more conservative."
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