Charlie Dalin, the French solo sailor who won the 2024-25 Vendée Globe while managing gastrointestinal cancer, has died aged 42.
Dalin's winning time of 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes and 49 seconds shattered the previous record by nine days, eight hours, 12 minutes and 57 seconds. He managed his condition with immunotherapy medication throughout the race.
Born and raised in Le Havre, Dalin qualified as a naval architect before offshore racing became his primary focus. A second-place finish in the 2020-21 Vendée Globe had already established his credentials, but his return for the most recent edition delivered an outright, record-breaking victory completed under active cancer treatment.
That achievement earned him the 2025 Rolex World Sailor of the Year award, presented at a ceremony at the Royal St George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland.
World Sailing Chief Executive David Graham paid tribute to both the man and his competitive legacy. "Charlie represented all that is great about our sport and everyone in our global sailing community will be touched by his tragically early death," Graham said. "He showed grit in the face of unbelievable adversity and a drive for excellence. And he did this while remaining humble, approachable and wonderfully generous with his time."
Dalin's record in offshore racing extended well beyond the Vendée Globe. He claimed IMOCA Globe Series titles in 2021 and 2022, won the 2022 Vendée Arctique and the 2019 Transat Jacques Vabre, and took victory in the 2012 Transat AG2R.
