Please select your home edition
Edition
Armstrong 728x90 - Performance Mast Range - TOP

Celebrating the Vendee Globe finishers, SailGP, RORC Transatlantic Race

by David Schmidt 21 Jan 08:00 PST January 21, 2025
Charlie Dalin (FRA) is photographed after winning the Vendée Globe, on January 14, in Les Sables d'Olonne, France © Vincent Curutchet / Alea

It's one thing to win a sailboat race—it's a different thing to absolutely shatter the existing course record. Charlie Dalin, skipper of the IMOCA 60 Macif Sante Prevoyance, accomplished the latter in the 2024/2025 Vendée Globe race, which he won last week when he crossed the finishing line of this solo, nonstop around-the-world race after 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes, and 49 seconds.

For comparison, the previous course record for the Vendée Globe race, which was set in 2017 by Armel Le Cleach (FRA), was 74 days, three hours, and 36 minutes.

Dalin's proud efforts represent a gain of more than nine days on a course that wends past the world's three great capes and gives all skippers long weeks (or, in some cases, entre months) to steep in the Southern Ocean's cold, windswept waters.

Even more impressive was the fact that Dalin was also the first skipper to cross the finishing line of the 2020/2021 Vendée Globe, but the win was awarded to skipper Yannick Bestaven, who received a time credit for helping to rescue a fellow competitor.

So, it's fair to say that Dalin was deeply invested in winning this highly prestigious race.

"I'm happy to have won this Vendée Globe, this veritable monument of ocean racing, and to join this very exclusive club of winners," Dalin said in an official Vendée Globe report soon after cinching his win. "I am the happiest man in the world today, that's for sure. These are crazy emotions, I've never felt like this before. Crossing the line with the dawn light shining on perfectly smooth water, the boat gliding along... It is, by far, the most beautiful finish of my entire career!"

While Dalin's performance was nothing short of brilliant, it's important to note that skippers Yoann Richomme, who raced aboard Paprec Arkea and finished in second place, and Sebastian Simon, who raced Groupe Dubreuil to a third-place finish, also obliterated Le Cleach's 2017 record. Their finishing times were 65 days, 18 hours, 10 minutes, and two seconds, and 67 days, 12 hours, 25 minutes, and 37 seconds, respectively.

To help set these achievements in the correct light, Richomme finished just 22 hours, 47 minutes, and 13 seconds astern of Dalin after racing around the entire globe.

Even more impressive is the fact that skipper Jeremie Beyou, racing aboard Charal, is currently sitting in fourth place and (as of this writing, Monday morning, U.S. West Coast time) still has over 1,100 nautical miles left to sail, even though almost a week has elapsed since Dalin's stunning win.

Sail-World extends a huge congratulations to Dalin for a gob-smacking win, and we raise a glass to Richomme and Simon for their downright impressive work in this grueling race.

Meanwhile, in Auckland, New Zealand, the sailing world got treated to the second event of SailGP's fifth season, which unfurled this past weekend in front of packed crowds.

All teams were using SailGP's new titanium T-Foils, which allow the fleet of identical F50 catamarans to achieve even faster speeds than the league's older L-shaped foils.

After seven fleet races and the event final, skipper Tom Slingsby and his Australia SailGP Team emerged as the event winners, followed by Diego Botin and his Spain SailGP Team, and Dylan Fletcher and his Emirates Great Britain team.

"We sailed our best this weekend and our best is good enough to beat anyone - I'm glad we got to showcase that," said Slingsby in a SailGP communication.

The next SailGP event is set to take place in Sydney, Australia, from February 8-9, 2025.

Finally, in fully crewed offshore racing news, Bryon Ehrhart's Lucky (née Rambler 88) earned line honors and set a new course record in the RORC's Transatlantic Race.

The race, which began on January 12 off of Marina Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands, finished off of Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in Grenada. Lucky beat the previous record, set by Comanche in 2022, by over an hour.

"The breeze picked up for the last third [of the course], but honestly, six hours from the finish we did not think we would make the record," said Ehrhart in an official RORC report, noting that he and the Lucky crew, which includes America's Cup winner Brad Butterworth and The Ocean Race winner Charlie Enright, have great respect for Comanche.

"This is the longest race that we have done, and it is a beautiful racecourse," continued Ehrhart. "We have a very experienced and senior leadership group making the boat go fast all the time, so the boat does what it's supposed to do at all times. We've had tight spots in this race, especially a light patch of wind in the second third, but we fought through."

May the four winds blow you safely home.

David Schmidt
Sail-World.com North American Editor

Related Articles

A brief history of marine instrument networks
Hugh Agnew has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge One man who has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge, is Hugh Agnew, the Cambridge-educated mathematician who is one of the founders of A+T Instruments in Lymington, so I spoke to him to find out more... Posted on 25 Jun
Harald Findlay on the 2025 Edgartown Race Weekend
A Q&A with Harald Findlay on the 2025 Edgartown Race Weekend When it comes to racing sailboats on the East Coast of the United States in the summer months, few places are as classic as the waters surrounding Martha's Vineyard's northwestern flank. Posted on 18 Jun
Sailing and the summer solstice
Celebrating sailing and the longest day of the year If you love long evenings and early mornings, this is one of the best times of the whole year, as the summer solstice (Friday, June 20) and the entire rich expanse of summer are about to burst into bloom. Posted on 17 Jun
Video Review: The Amazing Cure 55
Composite Construction meets Cruising Convenience It was two years ago at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show that I talked to Dave Biggar about his ideas and plans for the Cure 55. At the 2025 show I got to step on board the yacht and see how his ideas became reality. Posted on 17 Jun
The Big Bash
Every summer the tournament rolls into town. A short format of the game. Fun and excitement abound. Every summer the tournament rolls into town. Local and international players. A short format of the game, run over a relatively compact six-week season. Posted on 15 Jun
The oldest video footage of Kiel Week
A look back into our video archive at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s In our series of articles looking back in time through our video archive, we visit Germany. Kiel Week is been a crucial event on the world circuit, and here we look back at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s. Posted on 15 Jun
Nick Olson on PredictWind's newest features
Nick Olson discusses PredictWind's newest features PredictWind has long been a leader in presenting high-quality marine forecasts. Nick Olson discusses the company's newest features. Posted on 12 Jun
The X-Yachts Gold Cup Experience
A celebration of sailing, of X-Yachts and, most importantly of all, people Having just returned from Haderslev, Denmark - which is the home of X-Yachts and played host to the X-Yachts Gold Cup 2025 - I was left wondering if this was a racing event, a rally or a social celebration amongst close friends. Posted on 10 Jun
Getting excited for the Van Isle 360
Quoting a famous line from Pink Floyd's "Time" As I pack for the first half of the 2025 Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race, I find myself thinking about the last time I did this race, a certain Pink Floyd song, and the great adventuring, sailing and time with friends that awaits. Posted on 3 Jun
Robert Burke on HRCS's Dyckman Marina facility
Robert Burke discusses the upcoming closure of HRCS's Dyckman Marina facility Community sailing organizations are a fantastic and affordable way of drawing new sailors into the sport. Unfortunately, the Hudson River Community Sailing is being forced to close one of its two locations in January. Posted on 3 Jun
PredictWind - Offshore App 728x90 BOTTOMVaikobi 2024 DecemberSelden 2020 - FOOTER