Even though he smashed the Vendée Globe record, Charlie Dalin is still struggling to achieve his feat. Exceptional guest from Europe 1 weekend morning, the skipper looks back on these 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes and 52 seconds of an undivided fight against the elements, against Yoann Richomme, but also against himself.
Since his return to dry land on Tuesday, Charlie Dalin has been “enjoying simple pleasures: a hot shower and a dry bed that doesn’t move.” An exceptional guest from Europe 1 morning weekend, the winner of the 2024 edition of the Vendée Globe easily admits, “he is still struggling to achieve his feat”. And for good reason, on his Macif monohull, the skipper simply shattered the record held since 2017 by his friend Armel Le Cléach of 9 days and 8 hours, by completing the round the world solo and without assistance in 64 days, 19 hours , 22 minutes and 52 seconds.
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“This number makes me a little dizzy”
“This figure makes me a little dizzy, even me. I knew that the boats were capable of going around the planet in less than 70 days, but from there to passing the 65 mark, it’s pretty crazy.” So obviously, crossing the finish line with such weather was a special emotion for the skipper. “I’ve never really felt such strong emotion. It was really crazy, I was overcome by a torrent of joy.”
A joy equal to the disappointment of the last edition which saw victory elude him for 2h30… A real “engine” for the sailor for four years.
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A “high intensity” duel with Yoann Richomme
Despite his considerable lead over the previous record, Charlie Dalin had to fight an epic and “high intensity” duel with Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkea), one time leading the race. “I really dared to believe in victory only at the last moment, because he was on my heels, a bit like a feline on the prowl ready to pounce on its prey. And I think that if the record was beaten by so much time, it’s clearly because he was there”, he testifies at the microphone of Europe 1.
A difficult battle, and very physically demanding, the harshness of which can still be seen on the skipper’s face. “It really forced us to give the best of ourselves, to change sails more regularly, to adjust the boat more regularly, to go even further in analyzing the weather files to find the quickest route. C “It was a duel as intense as it was exciting,” explains Charlie Dalin. And he said with a smile: “It’s true that I would have liked to go up the Atlantic peacefully…”
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As for whether Charlie Dalin will be on the starting line for the 2028 edition, it is still too early. “I ask myself the question, why not. But for now, I’m enjoying, I’m savoring this victory that I’ve been waiting for for a long time.”
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