How Charlie Dalin made great…. greater
Published on January 13th, 2025
Charlie Dalin approached the 2024 Vendée Globe with a unique perspective. Dalin’s previous boat, Apivia (now Clarisse Cremer’s L’Occitane en Provence) was one of the benchmark IMOCAs of its generation. So fast, in fact, that it wasn’t until Dalin arrived in Les Sables d’Olonne in January 2021 that it became obvious just how hobbled Apivia had been, with a MacGuyver-esque arrangement of improvised stays supporting the port foil for 13,000 miles.
Dalin was first across the line in the 2020-21 race, though eventually finished 2nd after Yannick Bestaven received redress time for his part in the rescue of Kevin Escoffier. So when it came to creating a boat for the 2024 race, his target was to try and improve on a design so quick that it had effectively dominated the Vendée Globe fleet while sailing at reduced performance.
“Apivia was a really good boat,” Dalin explained. “In almost any condition, it’s just an amazing boat. It’s easy to go fast and it’s easy to maintain a high speed. But the boat had a small weakness: running dead downwind with a big sea state. That was a bit complicated.” – Full report
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Attrition:
Nov. 15: Maxime Sorel (FRA), V and B – Monbana – Mayenne, ankle injury, mast damage
Dec. 4: Louis Burton (FRA), Bureau Vallée, rigging failure
Dec. 15: Pip Hare (GBR), Medallia, dismasted
Dec. 16: Szabolcs Weöres (HUN), New Europe, broken D2 shroud
Dec. 30: Yannick Bestaven (FRA), Maître CoQ V, steerage damage
Jan. 12: Éric Bellion (FRA), STAND AS ONE – Altavia, broken J2 forestay pin
The Vendée Globe, raced in the 60-foot IMOCA, is the elite race round the world, solo, non-stop, and without assistance. On November 10, 40 skippers started the 2024-25 edition which begins and ends in Les Sables d’Olonne, France.
Armel Le Cléac’h, winning in 2017, holds the record for the 24,300 nm course of 74 days 03 hours 35 minutes 46 seconds. Only one sailor has won it twice: Michel Desjoyeaux in 2001 and 2009. This is tenth running of the race.