CHARLIE DALIN, POWERED BY NORTH SAILS, CONQUERS THE VENDÉE GLOBE
The MACIF Santé Prévoyance skipper is the first to finish around the world and set a new singlehanded monohull around-the-world record.
In the early morning, with temperatures hovering at freezing, MACIF Santé Prévoyance Skipper Charlie Dalin secured his Vendée Globe 2024-25 victory. Dalin completed his solo circumnavigation in 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes and 29 seconds, shattering the singlehanded monohull around-the-world record Armel Le Cléac'h set in 2016 by 9 days, 8 hours, 12 minutes and 57 seconds.
Dalin reached the finish line at 07:24 UTC on Tuesday, January 14th, 2025. Upon his arrival, French sailing fans welcomed him into Les Sables d'Olonne, and sailing fans worldwide celebrated his accomplishment, one that is widely considered the most challenging feat in offshore sailing. This is Dalin's first Vendée Globe win and a well-deserved victory for a sailor who continually delivers best-in-class results over the past decade.
Dalin sailed under high expectations, seasoned sailors know nothing is guaranteed in a race of this magnitude until you cross the finish line. Especially in a race like the Vendée Globe, where skippers often encounter weather-related and technical hurdles during the solo, non-stop, and without assistance 24,300 nm journey. Yet, this is where Dalin's background as a naval architect with boat-building experience may be his competitive advantage.
"Charlie is undisputed as one of the most talented sailors in offshore sailing today," remarked North Sails President Ken Read. "It would be easy to credit his success to being an exceptional and fast sailor, but it takes so much more to reach this level of offshore success. His academic background and off-the-water experience give him a unique confidence to take calculated risks. Knowing how hard he can push his boat, carefully approaching, but never crossing the line of fast vs failure. This win and his new record are a major accomplishment for Charlie and his team."
The Vendée Globe, nicknamed The Everest of the Seas, is a race with deep French roots. Originally named The Globe Challenge, the first Vendée Globe set sail in 1998-90, and 2024-25 marks the 10th anniversary of this storied race.
Sailed every four years Vendée Globe is the culmination of a competitive training and qualification cycle for the skippers, their teams, and the brands whose sponsorships make the campaigns possible. Throughout this cycle, new talent, and expectations are set for established competitors. It's also during this lead-up period that North Sails becomes embedded with the programs to develop the sail packages for each skipper.
North Sails is onboard 50% of the fleet sailing in the Vendée Globe 2024-25. At the time of Dalin's victory, North Sails was onboard seven of the top ten finishers as they were in the home stretch of their adventure. "The race is ultimately won by the skippers, but we consider these victories a win for North Sails too," explained Thomas Normand, GM of North Sails France. "Our team and North Sails designers have a very close relationship with skippers and their teams. At the end of four years, North outfits each IMOCA with a bespoke and ideal combination of sails. There are no copy/paste sails in the Vendée Globe. Each sail is designed to give all the skippers their best shot at being competitive in an ultra-competitive fleet."
Les Sables d'Olonne will see a steady flow of skippers complete the Vendée Globe this week. The race expects to welcome the top ten, including Sam Goodchild (Vulnerable), Jérémie Beyou (Charal), Nico Lunven (Holcim-PRB, Tomas Ruyant (Vulnerable), Boris Herrmann (Maliza-SeaExplorer) and Justine Mettraux (Teamwork-Team Snef) into port by January 22.
Head over to the Vendée Globe website and track the fleet as the 10th edition of this infamous race comes to a close. You can also join North Sails on Instagram as we celebrate the skippers and their remarkable journey.
