Charlie Dalin reveals in his autobiography that he was diagnosed with cancer in 2023, and won the gruelling 2024\/25 Vend\u00e9e Globe while continuing treatment for the illness.Charlie Dalin one of the race favourites. Photo: Martin Viezzer \/ Disobey \/ MacifFrench ocean racer Charlie Dalin has revealed that he was diagnosed with cancer in 2023, and completed \u2013 and won \u2013 the gruelling 2024\/25 Vend\u00e9e Globe while continuing treatment for the illness.
\nDalin, skipper of the IMOCA Macif Sant\u00e9 Pr\u00e9voyance had withdrawn from the 2023 Transat Jacques Vabre transatlantic race for unspecified medical issues. He confirmed in his autobiography La Force du Destin (\u2018The Force of Destiny\u2019), released tomorrow, that he was in fact diagnosed with a gastrointestinal stromal tumour that autumn.
\nDespite this, Dalin went on to qualify for the Vend\u00e9e Globe, completing the Transat CIC and return New York Vend\u00e9e-Les Sables Race in the summer of 2024.
\nAn emotional Dalin crosses the line to win the 2024 Vend\u00e9e Globe. Photo: Jean-Louis Carli \/ Alea
\nDalin then delivered one of the most impressive winning performances in the solo non-stop around the world Vend\u00e9e Globe race\u2019s history, pushing his IMOCA to blistering speeds and maintaining a ferociously relentless work rate throughout \u2013 famously riding a low pressure system in the South Indian Ocean to pull ahead of his close rival Yoann Richomme on Paprec Ark\u00e9a.
\nHe finished the race in 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes, and 49 seconds, demolishing the previous course record by 10 days.
\nCharlie Dalin cancer diagnosis
\nDalin reports that he first noticed symptoms in late 2023 during a training sail, and received his diagnosis after emergency scans.
\nThe skipper, who sails for MerConcept, did not publicly announce that he was going through cancer treatment, though he and his team adapted his training due to the weight loss and fatigue he suffered.
\nDalin was first to finish in the previous 2020\/21 Vend\u00e9e Globe, but fellow competitor Yannick Bestaven was awarded the race win following receiving time in redress for his part in the search and rescue of Kevin Escoffier, whose boat PRB broke up off South Africa.
\nBefore the 2024 race Dalin had spoken about how he came to terms with the unique emotional rollercoaster of crossing his first ever Vend\u00e9e Globe in first place, but knowing his victory wouldn\u2019t last.<\/p>\n
Dalin\u2019s 2024 Vend\u00e9e Globe
\nWith a purpose built Verdier-designed IMOCA and \u2013 outwardly at least \u2013 apparently perfect preparation until the 2023 Transat Jacques Vabre, Dalin was a hot favourite for the 2024 Vend\u00e9e Globe.
\nBut privately, his participation was in doubt until the last minute, when a scan in November 2024 confirmed that his tumour had not grown and he was able to join the record-sized fleet on the start line in Les Sables d\u2019Olonne. During the race he managed the illness with daily medication, and prioritised rest when possible.
\n\u201cI stuck to my strategy, sleeping an average of six and half hours per 24 hours, which is more than on my first Vend\u00e9e,\u201d he told French news agency AFP, in one of several interviews ahead of Thursday\u2019s publication of his book.
\n\u201cI had stomach pains, but I just told myself: you don\u2019t have time to worry about that. The pains went away as quickly as they had come,\u201d he added. \u201cBy the time I got back to shore, I had almost forgotten about them.\u201d
\nMacif was custom-built and designed for Dalin. Photo: Ronan Gladu\/Disobey\/Macif
\nSpeaking about his race post-diagnosis, Dalin revealed that he felt very relaxed during his second Vend\u00e9e.
\n\u201cOn November 10, 2024, the day of the Vend\u00e9e Globe start, I was incredibly relaxed. We often hear that taking part in the Vend\u00e9e is already a victory. In my case, that was exactly it! Because a year earlier, I didn\u2019t even know if I would survive,\u201d he told French sailing magazine Voiles et Voiliers.
\n\u201cIn fact, during a chat during the trip up the Atlantic, when I was neck and neck with Yoann (Richomme), I said: \u2018In the end, it\u2019s just a game.\u2019
\n\u201cMany people thought it was a bluff, thinking it didn\u2019t correspond to my usual state of mind. But no, I was really relaxed, happy to be on my boat, battling for the final victory.\u201d
\nIncredible story
\nDalin had considered going public with his diagnosis during the media frenzy after winning the Vend\u00e9e Globe, but when offered a book deal decided that would be the better way to tell his story.
\n\u201cFrankly, if a screenwriter had imagined a script around the Vend\u00e9e, he would never have dared to write the story of a sailor with cancer, who returns to the race of his dreams and wins it after crossing the line first, but finishes second in his first participation\u2026
\nHe would have been told that it was too much, that it didn\u2019t make sense. And yet, that\u2019s exactly what happened,\u201d Dalin told Voiles et Voiliers.
\nDalin (left) 2nd second placed Richomme in Les Sables d\u2019Olonne after the pair\u2019s fierce duel during the Vend\u00e9e Globe. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot
\nDalin\u2019s recovery
\nShortly after the finish in February this year, Charlie Dalin underwent surgery and is now focusing on his recovery. \u201cI had a tumour 15 centimetres long on my intestine. They removed it in February, but it came back elsewhere in April,\u201d he explained to French newspaper L\u2019Equipe.
\nBritish skipper Sam Goodchild is racing Macif in next month\u2019s Transat Caf\u00e9 L\u2019or (formerly the Transat Jacques Vabre), with new IMOCA co-skipper Lo\u00efs Berrehar. The Macif team will be making a further announcement about their sailing squad later this month.
\nAll of us at Yachting World sincerely wish Charlie and his family the very best for the future. Charlie and his team generously gave me the opportunity to sail aboard his incredible Macif in September 2024, and it was an absolute privilege to witness him at the helm. We hope to see him back there very soon.
\nThe post Vend\u00e9e Globe record-breaker Charlie Dalin won gruelling race after cancer diagnosis appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Charlie Dalin reveals in his autobiography that he was diagnosed with cancer in 2023, and won the gruelling 2024\/25 Vend\u00e9e Globe while continuing treatment for the illness.Charlie Dalin one of the race favourites. Photo: Martin Viezzer \/ Disobey \/ MacifFrench … <\/p>\n