Charlie Dalin, the revenge of a sailor with his feet on the ground

Four years after seeing his triumph slip through his fingers on the green carpet, serenity has never left Charlie Dalin, finally undisputed winner of the Vendée Globe thanks to his extraordinary seamanship and a flawless course.

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A nice revenge for 2021

At 40 years old, the Norman was once again the first, off the coast of Les Sables-d’Olonne, to cross the finish line of a race around the world which he led over a large majority of the course, aboard its latest generation flying sailboat (Macif).

And unlike the previous edition which crowned Yannick Bestaven at his expense, his first pursuer will not benefit this time from a time bonus to overtake him in the ranking, to deprive him of a victory which he has dreamed of since his first tacks, the age of six.

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“This second place (in 2021) was a big frustration. For a long time I woke up at night, I redid the race, the maneuvers, the sail choices to understand where I had let this time go,” said before the start the skipper to AFP.

She could have devoured him… but the disappointment simply strengthened the determination of this great, rigorous and perfectionist rationalist, considered by all his peers as one of the greatest sailors of his generation.

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“Addicted to settings”

“I do two and I want to do better, so there are not many other solutions,” he said, hardly worried about the idea of ​​failing, despite the very random aspect of his sport, discovered by chance during a vacation in Crozon (Finistère).

Le Havre exiled in Concarneau, Dalin has been a professional sailor since 2011. A naval architect by training, “he has always had this determined side, very performance oriented, capable of enormous efforts to achieve his goal”, notes the skipper to AFP Fabien Delahaye, training partner at the Finistère offshore racing center in Port-La-Forêt.

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From Sweden to Australia, Dalin sets down his bags all over the world to finance his passion for the sea. And “from his first regattas, he was already addicted to rigging adjustments. He has the taciturn character of the great solo sailors” , estimates Jeanne Grégoire, former competitor on the Figaro circuit, where Dalin shone for years.

The Norman launched his first Imoca, Apivia, in 2019, the result of joint work between naval architect Guillaume Verdier and the MerConcept design office – François Gabart’s team -, as well as his own choices of design.

However, he started from an almost blank slate in the offshore world: his mother is a sales assistant, his father a tour manager for rock groups. “He knew how to surround himself and his results were quickly astonishing,” admits Fabien Delahaye.

Without shaking

After his 2nd place in the 2020/2021 Vendée Globe, he won the majority of qualifying races for the following edition, launched a new boat and set off from Les Sables-d’Olonne on November 10, in the skin of the big favorite against 39 other experienced sailors.

Initially cautious during the descent of the Atlantic, he seized his chance in the Indian Ocean, outpacing the biggest storm of this 10th edition at the last minute to definitively put almost all his pursuers at bay.

“Charlie has gained enormously in maturity since his last Vendée,” says Marine Cerbelle, his personal cook before each departure since 2016. “He knows when and how to take risks, he has a crazy mind,” she adds.

Proof if there was one: Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkea), a great friend of twenty years and the only one capable of tracking the Norman, tried in vain to make him break a thousand times during a breathtaking chase in the middle of the North Atlantic. .

Because Dalin kept a cool head until the end. “The trap is thinking about victory, as soon as my brain thinks about it, I try to reframe it,” he explained a few days before seizing the trophy… that he can finally allow to enjoy.