64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes and 49 seconds, that's the time it took Charlie Dalin to complete his Vendée Globe 2024-2025, the most prestigious solo round-the-world race on the planet. An absolutely unreal time since the French sailor, at the helm of his Imoca Macif, shattered the previous record for the event belonging to Armel Le Cléac'h, which he relegated to more than nine days.
Incredible winner of the Vendée Globe, the skipper was exultant when meeting Perrine and Oscar upon his arrival in Les Sables-d'Olonne, in Vendée. In images broadcast by L'Équipe, we can see the latter hugging his son and his wife, happy to finally find his family.
Problem is, Charlie Dalin had to wait a long time before returning to dry land and finally being able to celebrate his incredible victory with the thousands of people who came to congratulate him. If his loved ones were able to join him on board when he arrived around 8 a.m., the native of Le Havre (Seine-Maritime) had to face a big setback. “I had never experienced such an arrival… I'm living a dream”, he explained, clearly not upset by the wait he had to face. “Due to tide low preventing these crazy machines with 4.50 meters of draft under the keel from immediately entering the long channel, Charlie Dalin waits carefully until 1:35 p.m. and treat yourself to a little restorative nap”before being able to return to port and party, as we learn Liberation this Wednesday.
Charlie Dalin talks about his hygiene on the boat
-A little saving break for those who risk having a busy few days in terms of media. After his victory in the Vendée Globe, the skipper spoke about his hygiene on board the boat in an interview given to C to you. “I didn't take a shower for 64 days… Then I had wipes!”he confides, before adding that he “can’t wait to eat” son “first meal on land”car “The food we take isn’t necessarily very good!”.
Over the moon after his victory in the Vendée Globe, Charlie Dalin is the happiest man in the world. “I have never experienced emotions like this. It was madness at this finish line with the daylight starting to break through. I had never experienced that in my life, it was incredible. This is the best finish line of my career, by far”he declared once he arrived.
