Still hungry Dalin back to defend IMOCA crown
Sailing - Arrival of the Vendee Globe winner - Les Sables-d'Olonne, France - January 14, 2025 Macif Sante Prevoyance's Charlie Dalin holds the trophy onstage as he arrives in port after winning the Vendee Globe REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
Charlie Dalin, fresh from rewriting the Vendee Globe record books, has set his sights on defending his IMOCA Globe Series title with the methodical precision that has become his trademark in offshore racing.
The 40-year-old French skipper, who sliced nine days off the previous round-the-world record, approaches the 2025 season with characteristic understatement aboard MACIF Sante Prevoyance.
"My objective this year? Well, it's to win races again," Dalin told IMOCA officials this week. "I'm still passionate as before and, you know, I love sailing IMOCAs."
IMOCAs are 60-foot high-performance monohulls built for solo or short-handed offshore racing, known for balancing cutting-edge design - like hydrofoils and carbon fibre hulls - with the raw demands of long-distance endurance.
Dalin will begin his 2025 campaign with June's Course des Caps, a 2,000-mile tactical challenge around Britain's demanding coastline, but has a special focus on October's Transat Cafe L'Or from Le Havre to Martinique, a race carrying personal significance.
"It's an important race for me because I am from Le Havre and I couldn't race last time," said Dalin, who claimed victory there in 2019. "I have revenge to take on that event. I would quite like to win it a second time."
The competitive landscape remains formidable. Dalin anticipates challenges from last year's runner-up Yoann Richomme on Paprec Arkea, Thomas Ruyant paired with Ambrogio Beccaria, and veteran Jeremie Beyou aboard Charal. Adding intrigue is newcomer Elodie Bonafous commanding Horizon 29, a sistership to Dalin's vessel.
"It will be interesting to sail against a sistership of MACIF Sante Prevoyance and see how she performs," he noted.
While acknowledging the physical toll of his Vendee Globe campaign, Dalin expressed confidence in his recovery timeline, targeting full readiness by the season's start.
Now firmly established as the sailor everyone aims to beat, Dalin embraces his position with philosophical ease.
"I'd rather be in this situation than the reverse," he smiled.
The IMOCA Globe Series is a tiered circuit of offshore yacht races, ranging from short coastal duels to gruelling round-the-world marathons. At the top are Grade 1 epics like the Vendee Globe and The Ocean Race, while Grade 2 includes transatlantic tests such as the Route du Rhum and Transat Jacques Vabre.
Shorter Grade 3 and 4 events - like the Course des Caps, Defi Azimut and Rolex Fastnet - demand precision, stamina and tactical sharpness. Together, they form a global proving ground for the world's best offshore sailors.
Dalin claimed the 2024 title with 800 points in a dominant French showing. Fellow countrymen Richomme and Sebastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) took second and third with 730 and 595 points respectively. Germany's Boris Herrmann broke the French hold, steering Malizia – Sea Explorer to fourth on 571 points.
The 2025 series kicks off with the 2,000 nautical-mile Course des Caps on June 29, and with his Vendee victory still fresh and the sails of MACIF Sante Prevoyance trimmed for another season, Dalin is plotting another year at the front of the fleet. REUTERS
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