Charlie Dalin, the French sailor who won the most recent Vendee Globe race and set a new course record, died at age 42 after a long battle with cancer. His wife, Perrine Le Pape, confirmed his death Thursday in a message to AFP.
According to BBC Sport, Dalin had been dealing with a rare form of gastrointestinal cancer. "It is with deep sadness that my family and I announce the passing of my husband, Charlie Dalin, following a long illness," Le Pape said.
Dalin completed the 24,300-mile non-stop solo circumnavigation in 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes and 49 seconds during the 2024-25 edition of the race. That time broke Armel Le Cleac'h's record set in 2017 by more than nine days. The Vendee Globe is considered one of the most demanding endurance events in sport, requiring sailors to circle the globe alone without stopping or receiving outside assistance.
What made the victory even more extraordinary was the circumstances under which Dalin raced. He had been diagnosed with a tumor just days before the race began last October. Rather than withdraw, he received treatment and competed anyway. He did not reveal the diagnosis publicly until after the race, when he published a book chronicling his illness. In that book, he disclosed that he had received immunotherapy treatment throughout the entire race.
After crossing the finish line in January 2025 to win the 10th edition of the Vendee Globe, Dalin was met on his boat by Le Pape and their son Oscar.
The victory carried an added layer of redemption. Dalin had finished second in the previous Vendee Globe in 2020-21, though not by losing on the water. He had actually crossed the finish line first, but was relegated to second place after runner-up Yannick Bestaven received a time bonus for helping rescue a rival sailor during the race. Dalin received no such bonus, and the adjustment dropped him one position in the final standings despite leading on elapsed time.
Dalin had shown signs of health trouble before the record run. He withdrew from the Transat Jacques Vabre race in late 2023 because of a medical issue, though the nature of that issue was not disclosed at the time. It was only later, through the book, that the full picture of his illness became clear.
He had been diagnosed, treated, raced 24,300 miles alone around the world in record time while on immunotherapy, and still managed to win the race outright before his death at 42.
