Vendée Globe: Charlie Dalin, the ambitious beginner

Huge boats, a solo race around the world without stopovers and without assistance: since its creation in 1989, the Vendée Globe has represented the ultimate challenge for sailors.

At 36, Charlie Dalin will finally be able to fulfill his dream.

The skipper, who will line up on the Imoca Apivia, was not, however, predestined to line up on the most prestigious of solo races.

Born in Le Havre, into a family without the slightest sailor, he developed a passion for sailing as a teenager, before patiently managing, through hard work and perseverance, to secure a place in the Vendée Globe.

Europe 1 presents this ambitious "beginner" to you, who will keep a weekly logbook on our antenna and our website throughout the race, from November 8th.

Posters of sailors in his teenage room

Charlie Dalin's passion was born during a family vacation in Finistère.

He was only six years old when he discovered sailing, during an Optimist course, these small boats of 2.30 meters long, popular all over the world.

Back in Le Havre, he continues to navigate the basins of the Norman city, but he wants more.

"I quickly wanted to go to the sea with waves, with winds less disturbed by the surrounding buildings. I liked it more and more, as I went along," he recalls.

Every two years, he attends the start of the prestigious Transat Jacques-Vabre, which links Le Havre to Salvador de Bahia, and begins to dream of the open sea.

"I was going to see these racing machines moored to the pontoons before crossing the Atlantic. I was going to the Transat, as the people of Le Havre say."

His passion really takes shape in adolescence.

His first encounter with the Vendée Globe took place in 1996, when he was only 12 years old.

"I was offered the book by Christophe Auguin, who won the race. I have read it a lot of times".

He then subscribed to sailing magazines, bought models of sailboats and lined his room with posters of sailors.

"I had posters of Franck Cammas, Paul Vatine and quite a few others. I never had posters of the France 1998 team," he laughs.

"It was really from then that sailing dictated my life trajectory. I was only thinking about that."

Studies of naval architecture in England, experiences in Sweden and Australia

But what can you do to become a sailor when you don't come from a family of sailors and you don't know anyone in the field?

“I didn't have a network, I didn't have any contacts. I went to see Marc Lombard (a renowned naval architect) just before entering first. He welcomed me one day, he showed me his job and above all he gave me the coordinates of the best university to do naval architecture ".

After graduating from high school, Charlie Dalin set sail in 2002 for Southampton, England, where he studied for four years.

At the same time, he continued to sail, not hesitating to go to the pontoons to "ask the sailors if they were missing someone for the regattas".

After his diploma was validated in 2006, he traveled from Australia to Thailand via Sweden, accumulating experiences with, always, the ambition to live from his passion.

“I alternated between boat and architecture for several years. I spent a year in Sweden in Stockholm, in 2008, building two sailboats for the crewed round-the-world race (the Volvo Ocean Race). J made my first crossing of the Atlantic in 2009, on a small boat six meters long between La Rochelle and Brazil, then I returned to Australia to build a trimaran which was to participate in the Route du Rhum 2010 ".

He was convinced of it: he was made for ocean racing.

A long learning phase

That same year 2010, he was hired to work in the design office of Armel Le Cléac'h, the future winner of the Vendée Globe 2016-2017.

"I was able to accompany him on some races, we were both on his boat. It allowed me to see how he did it, how he maneuvered. The Vendée Globe seemed far away, with big boats. and big teams. It seemed huge to me, I didn't have a lot of experience at the time, "he says.

Charlie Dalin turns professional the following year, in 2011, and seeks, without success, funding to compete in the Vendée Globe 2012. Never mind, he will accumulate races to perfect his apprenticeship.

"There was no frustration," he says.

"It was after that I started doing the Solitaire du Figaro. I did the Solitaire seven times in eight years (he finished second three times in 2014, 2015 and 2016, and twice third in 2017 and 2018) , this is where I learned everything and where I really trained in ocean racing. It is the antechamber of the Vendée Globe, almost all of the former winners have done the Solitaire. "

Advice from Yann Eliès and François Gabart

Charlie Dalin, who defines himself as a "perfectionist", has been drinking advice from prestigious sailors throughout his career.

In 2014, he met Yann Eliès, with whom he finished third in the Transat Jacques-Vabre (they also won it last year on Apivia), before becoming his replacement in the Vendée Globe 2016-2017.

"I'm on board with him, I'm the last to jump into the water just four minutes before the gun fires. I steer the boat out of the famous Sables-d'Olonne channel and I see how he is evolving mentally beforehand. the start. It was a very interesting experience. "

He also asked François Gabart, winner of the Vendée Globe in 2013. "He gave me a lot on the human side, on sleep and on how to manage his rhythm over such a long period. He has an interesting point of view", he explains.

A preparation to the millimeter for two years

Charlie Dalin's long journey finally materialized in March 2018 with the signing of the Apivia project.

"This Vendée Globe comes at the right time. I have built myself and improved in level during all these years," he says with satisfaction.

For two years, the skipper has devoted himself full time to preparing for the race, "without leaving anything to chance".

"I thought about all areas and all aspects: nutrition, sleep, but also the whole boat part. Everything is optimized and studied."

His physical preparation, essential for long weeks at sea, has also been adapted accordingly.

"I used to have a rower at home, but now I have a column, like an arm cycle, because in the Vendée Globe we do the maneuvers with what is called a 'coffee grinder'. was a good investment because I was able to make it during confinement, "he laughs.

Because Charlin Dalin had to deal, like many skippers, with a preparation disturbed by confinement.

"I did a lot of sport and I worked a lot on my supplies (food). The advantage of our sport is that it is prepared a lot by computer. I also worked a lot on the weather forecast . "

If he fears a collision with a marine mammal or an object in the sea, Charlie Dalin remains confident and fully focused on his goal.

"I am a competitor, I was not planning to do the Vendée Globe just to do it".

And even if he assures to approach the race with "a lot of humility", the skipper does not hide his ambitions.

"If I can win, I will."