Charlie Dalin, the extraordinary winner of the last Vendée Globe singlehanded around the world race, has died aged 42.

His family announced today that the legendary French yachtsman has died, after revealing last year that he was being treated for a rare cancer.

“It is with deep sadness that my family and I announce the passing of my husband, Charlie Dalin, following a long illness,” Dalin’s wife Perrine Le Pape told French news service AFP.

Dalin on MACIF Santé Prévoyance celebrates winning the 2024 Vendee Globe, on January 14, 2025 in Les Sables d’Olonne, France. Photo by Jean-Louis Carli / Alea

Offshore talent

Charlie Dalin was one of the most incredible ocean racing talents of his generation. Born in Le Havre, France in 1984 he grew up immersed in sailing, racing Optimists then 420s as a teenager.

After school he moved to England to study naval architecture at Southampton University, and regularly raced on both sides of the Channel, including the Mumm 30 Tour de France a la Voiles, and events such as Cowes Week, the Commodores’ Cup and Round the Island Race on the Farr 52s Chernikeeff 2 and Bear of Britain.

After moving into short-handed offshore racing Dalin finished 2nd in his first solo Mini 650 race, the Les Sables-Azores Race, then raced in the Mini Transat, before moving up to the Figaro class.

In the Figaro he podiumed for five consecutive years (2014-2018) in the legendary Solitaire du Figaro race, racing closely against many who would go on to be his nearest rivals in the IMOCA class, including two-times Figaro winner Yoann Richomme.

But it was his results in the IMOCA that made him a true household name in France. With his first IMOCA Apivia he won the 2019 Transat Jacques Vabre, before starting his first Vendée Globe in 2020.

Dalin racing Apivia in the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race. Photo: Rolex/Kurt Arrigo

2020 Vendée Globe

Dalin sailed an incredible race in Apivia, leading the Vendée Globe for 37 days in total. He reported some foil damage south of Australia, but it wasn’t until the boat arrived in Les Sables d’Olonne that it became obvious that the foil had been literally hanging by a thread – supported by improvised stays Dalin had rigged, and repeatedly adjusted and maintained for 13,000 miles and 44 days.

Dalin and Apivia were first to cross the finish line in the 2020/21 Vendée Globe, but due to redress awarded to boats that assisted in the rescue of Kevin Escoffier, the ultimate winner was Yannick Bestaven. Dalin, who had achieved a lifetime goal on the first attempt, was utterly gracious in congratulating Bestaven for his win.

He and his sponsors planned a renewed campaign for the 2024 race, building and launching a new IMOCA, Macif.

I was enormously privileged to sail with Dalin on Macif at the Le Defi speed trials and he proudly gave me an in-depth tour of the boat afterwards. It was evident just how much passion, professionalism and attention to detail he had poured into the boat, and how much he loved both the design process and racing and extracting every tiny fraction of performance from the boat.

Charlie Dalin on Macif. Photo: Martin Viezzer / Disobey / Macif

Shock diagnosis

However, Dalin’s preparations for the 2024 Vendée Globe were disrupted by the shock discovery that he had a rare gastrointestinal cancer. Dalin first noticed symptoms in late 2023 during a training sail, and received his diagnosis after emergency scans.

He withdrew from the 2023 Transat Jacques Vabre, but did not disclose his diagnosis. Instead, incredibly, he and his medical team continued preparations for him to compete in the Vendée Globe, winning the New York-Vendée race as part of his build-up.

His Vendée 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 IMOCA fleet on the start line in Les Sables d’Olonne. During the race he managed the illness with daily immunotherapy medication, and prioritised rest when possible.

“I stuck to my strategy, sleeping an average of six and half hours per 24 hours, which is more than on my first Vendée,” he told French news agency AFP, in one of several interviews ahead of the publication of his autobiography La Force du Destin (‘The Force of Destiny’).

“I had stomach pains, but I just told myself: you don’t have time to worry about that. The pains went away as quickly as they had come,” he added. “By the time I got back to shore, I had almost forgotten about them.”

Working in his cockpit onboard Macif. Photo: Guillaume Gatefait / Macif

During the Vendée Globe he made one of the most remarkable tactical calls ever seen, sailing directly ahead of a violent low pressure system in the South Indian Ocean to pull ahead of his close rival Yoann Richomme on Paprec Arkéa.

Despite his illness, he not only completed one of the most gruelling races in sport, but maintained a ferociously relentless work rate, achieving blistering speeds in the foiling Macif. He finished the 2024 Vendée Globe first, in 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes, and 49 seconds, demolishing the previous race record by 10 days.

Celebrations for Charlie Dalin after winning the 2024 Vendee Globe. Photo by Vincent Curutchet / Alea

Force of Destiny

Dalin chose not to disclose that he had done so all while battling a rare form of cancer during the post-Vendée celebrations, instead deciding to write a book about his life.

“Frankly, if a screenwriter had imagined a script around the Vendée, 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… He would have been told that it was too much, that it didn’t make sense. And yet, that’s exactly what happened,” Dalin told French sailing magazine Voiles et Voiliers.

His autobiography was published in October 2025, and revealed that he had won the world’s toughest offshore race while battling cancer. Awards and accolades flooded in: the 2025 Rolex World Sailor of the Year, and many others.

Dalin also told the story to podcaster Shirley Robertson – it’s an incredible tale told in his own voice, listen at Shirley Robertson’s Sailing Podcast

After the Vendée he remained involved in the Macif team when his health allowed, sharing his wisdom and knowledge for the build of their next IMOCA 60. British sailor Sam Goodchild was named as the team’s skipper, and is currently racing Macif in the Vendée Arctique Race.

Tributes to Charlie Dalin

Following today’s announcement, many have paid tribute to a man who redefined what is possible. A statement from the Vendée Globe organisation read: “Charlie Dalin made generations of sailors dream, and far beyond that, all those who followed his exploits. His life and his example will continue to inspire.”

Alain Lebœuf, President of the Vendée Globe, added: “Charlie leaves an indelible mark on the history of the Vendée Globe, through his talent and his fighting spirit, both on the ocean and in the face of the ordeal he faced.

“Behind the champion, I do not forget the man, and the respect he inspired from all those who knew him. I think of his wife, his son, his whole family. On behalf of the entire organisation, I send them my support, my deep respect and all my affection at this time.”

We at Yachting World send our sincere condolences to his wife, young son, family, friends and team mates, and all who knew a truly remarkable man.