Charlie Dalin, sea legs: “He doesn’t speak, I tried at sea, he answers yes and no”

Dalin, king of the podiums

But to achieve the greatest success of his career, the Norman had to brave headwinds and learn from his failures and disillusionments. Like 4 years ago when he entered the channel first on the return from the Vendée Globe, before being reclassified second, since Yannick Bestaven had benefited from time bonuses after having participated in the rescue of Kévin Escoffier, who had come close to the dead at sea. Charlie Dalin, it’s a Raymond Poulidor-like trajectory in short, but which sets sail to branch off towards the course of victory. Before this Vendée Globe 2024-2025, the track record of the skipper from Macif Santé Prévoyance included podiums, six in total (3x 3rd and 2x 2nd in the Figaro solo, once 2nd in the Vendée Globe) in the major offshore races in lonely.

With his deep gaze and his wavy hair, Charlie Dalin has the physique of a guy from the sea. And the character too. Because he is a discreet man who prefers the solitude of the oceans to the noise of the earth. “He doesn’t talk. I tried at sea, he answers yes and no. We’re friends, but Charlie isn’t the most sociable guy”said Yoann Richomme (2nd in this Vendée Globe) in the Teamabout his rival and friend above all. “The harshness of the solitary does not bother him, he prefers sailing alone, making his decisions himself, he prefers that way, and that’s good because he will have done 80 days alone!”described one of the members of his team in the columns ofWest Francein 2021. The Everest of the Seas is therefore a race cut out for him, tailor-made. His studies as a naval architect at the University of Southampton undoubtedly also helped him to tame the most hostile seas and the most stubborn competitors.

Vendée Globe: Dalin maintains his lead, the outcome approaches

Dalin-Richomme: an inseparable duo

Like Yoann Richomme with whom Charlie Dalin played a game of cat and mouse during a good part of the race. The first in the role of the cat and the second in that of the mouse. A race for victory between two friends in life. Who have traveled the oceans together, as during the double-handed Transat AG2R: “We dismasted after a week, over something stupid. We got along really well”said the Fréjusian. Crew on sailboats and in life too, like when they were roommates in 2011 in Port-La-Forêt, before entering the Pôle Finistère Course au Large, trainer of great champions. Yoann Richomme knows better than anyone that challenging Dalin across the seas is no easy task. “I would have preferred a draw. There’s no worse guy to go up the Atlantic with.”

Charlie Dalin is finally the story of a sailor who arrives on time. And even before everyone else, at 8:24 a.m. yesterday morning, a historic record broken by nine days, to finally dismast Poulidor’s status from his sailboat.