At the age of 40, Charlie Dalin made sailing history. This Tuesday morning, the French skipper arrived in Les Sables-d'Olonne 64 days and 19 hours after his departure aboard his Imoca Macif Prévoyance. He thus shattered the Vendée Globe record, the solo round-the-world trip in a monohull without stopovers or assistance.
The previous mark was established by Armel Le Cléac'h in 2017 (Banque Populaire VIII) at 74 days, 3 hours, and 35 minutes, ten days more than Dalin.
The native of Le Havre, second in the last edition four years previously (he had crossed the line first but had been demoted after compensation granted to his pursuer), had gained the upper hand very early on the course around the Globe, taking advantage of major damage to the leader Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa) in the ascent of the Atlantic. He thus signed the finest performance of his career, one that remains in the history of his sport.
