The world of elite sailing is in mourning this week following the death of iconic French skipper Charlie Dalin, 42-year-old winner of the 2024-25 Vendee Globe, who passed away after a years-long fight with a rare form of gastrointestinal cancer. Dalin’s wife Perrine Le Pape confirmed the news in a statement sent to French news agency AFP on Thursday, saying, “It is with deep sadness that my family and I announce the passing of my husband, Charlie Dalin, following a long illness.”
What made Dalin’s historic Vendee Globe victory all the more extraordinary is that he was battling his cancer diagnosis throughout the entire grueling non-stop race. In October of last year, the skipper revealed the full scope of his health struggle in a published memoir, disclosing that he had been diagnosed with a malignant tumor just days before the 2024-25 Vendee Globe got underway. After urgent initial treatment, he returned to the starting line of sailing’s most punishing solo event and received ongoing immunotherapy treatment while navigating the full 24,300-mile course entirely alone.
Dalin completed the round-the-world route in a blistering record time of 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes and 49 seconds, smashing the previous benchmark set by Armel Le Cleac’h in 2017 by more than nine days. When he crossed the finish line in January 2025 to claim victory in the 10th edition of the iconic race, he was met by his wife and their young son Oscar, joining him on his boat for the emotional celebration. At the end of the race, he held a lead of more than half a day over his nearest competitor, a gap that cemented his status as one of the sport’s all-time great performers.
This was not Dalin’s first run at Vendee Globe glory. In the 2020-21 edition of the race, he crossed the finish line first, only to be relegated to second place overall after competitor Yannick Bestaven received a time bonus for rescuing a fellow skipper in distress. Dalin took the setback with characteristic grace, and remained a beloved figure across the sailing community for his sportsmanship and resilience.
In late 2023, Dalin was forced to withdraw from the Transat Jacques Vabre race due to an undisclosed medical issue, sparking widespread speculation about his health that he did not address until the release of his memoir months later. Up until that October announcement, only a small inner circle knew of his diagnosis and ongoing treatment as he continued to compete at the highest level of the sport.
Tributes have already begun pouring in from across the global sailing community, honoring Dalin not just for his historic on-water achievements, but for the extraordinary courage he displayed in competing at the highest level while facing a life-threatening illness.