Charlie Dalin (10 May 1984 – 10 June 2026) was a French offshore sailor. He won the 2024–2025 Vendée Globe which is the pinnacle race held every four years for sailing non-stop around the world. He completed the race with a time of 64 days 19 hours 22 minutes and 49 smashing the previous record by 9 days 8 hours 12 minutes and 57 seconds which also set the monohull around the world sailing record. He completed this race while battling gastrointestinal cancer, taking immunotherapy pills during the race.
Early life Dalin started sailing dinghies at a young age in the Optimist and 420. After school he moved to England to study for a Naval Architecture degree from the University of Southampton.
Professional career Dalin started yacht racing, competing on both sides of the Channel, racing the Farr 30 in the Tour de France à la voile, and on the Farr 52s Chernikeeff 2 and Bear of Britain at events such as Cowes Week, the Commodores' Cup and Round the Island Race on the.
In the 2020–2021 Vendée Globe he was the first to finish with a time of 80 days 6 hours 15 minutes and 47 seconds but was classified second due to redress.
Dalin was also IMOCA world champion in 2021 and 2022. In 2023 he launched his new sailing yacht MACIF, an IMOCA 60 monohull.
Distinctions
In 2025 he received a World Sailing World Sailor of the Year Award with fellow Vendee Globe competitor Justine Mettraux winning the female category. Also in 2025, he was awarded Knight of the Legion of Honour in France.
Sailing highlights PosYearRaceClassBoat nameNotesRefRound the world races 1 202425 2024–2025 Vendée Globe IMOCA 60 Macif (2023) 64d 16h 22m 49s 2 202021 2020–2021 Vendée Globe IMOCA 60 Apivia (2019) 80d 06h 15m 47s Transatlantic Race 2 2022 Route du Rhum IMOCA 60 Apivia (2019) 11d 19h 38m 11s 2 2021 Transat Jacques Vabre IMOCA 60 Apivia (2019) with Paul Meilhat 1 2019 Transat Jacques Vabre IMOCA 60 Apivia (2019) with Yann Elies DNF 2016 Transat AG2R Figaro 2 MACIF 2015 with Yoann Richomme 3 / 20 2015 Transat Jacques Vabre IMOCA 60 Quéguiner – Leucémie Espoir, FRA 029 17d 10h 01mwith Yann Elies RET 2014 Transat AG2R Figaro 2 CERCLE VERT with Gildas Morvan 1 2012 Transat AG2R Figaro 2 Green Circle with Gildas Morvan 2 2009 Mini Transat Race Mini TransatPogo 2 Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Other Results 1 2022 Vendée Arctique IMOCA 60 Apivia (2019) Vendee Qualifier 1 2021 Defi Azimut 1 2021 Syz Translemanique en Solitaire 8 2020 Défi Azimut 2 2020 Vendée-Arctique-Les Sables d'Olonne 3 2018 La Solitaire Urgo Le Figaro 6 2018 La Solo maitre Coq 1 2017 Douarnenez Fastnet Solo 1 2016 Douarnenez Horta Solo 3 2017 La Solitaire Urgo Le Figaro Figaro 2 SKIPPER MACIF 2015 2 2016 La Solitaire du Figaro Figaro 2 MACIF 2015 2 2015 Solo Basse Normandie 2 / 9 2015 Rolex Fastnet Race IMOCA 60 Quéguiner – Leucémie Espoir, FRA 029 03d 01h 28mwith Yann Elies 2 2015 La Solitaire du Figaro Figaro 2 3 2014 La Solitaire du Figaro Figaro 2 1 2014 Championnat de France de Course au Large 3 2014 Le Havre All Mer Cup 2 2014 Lorient - Horta Solo 1 2013 Rolex Fastnet Race Figaro 2013 Tour de France à la Voile M34 1 2013 Record SNSM 3 2012 Med-Race M34 2011 Solo Basse Normandie Figaro 2010 Record SNSM 2 2008 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race Sydney 38 The Goat Crew 2008 Les Sables - Les Açores - Les Sables Mini TransatPogo 2 1 2004 Round The Island Race Farr 52 Crew 1 2004 RORC Commodore's Cup Farr 52 Crew
Death Dalin died in Quimper, France, at the age of 42, during the night of 10-11 June 2026. He had been battling gastrointestinal cancer for two and a half years. He wrote about his illness in his biography, , published by Gallimard in October 2025, making clear his determination not to let the cancer diagnosis get in the way of his life.
Publications Book: La force du destin (The force of destiny)
Media appearances Sailing Home (2004) as himself
Notes
References
External links