After 2 months at sea, French sailor Dalin wins Vendee Globe around-the-world race in record time

LES SABLES D’OLONNE, France (AP) - French sailor Charlie Dalin won the around-the-world race Vendee Globe in record time on Tuesday, completing his solo journey in less than 65 days - nearly 10 days faster than the previous mark - to make up for missing out on the victory in the previous edition four years ago.

Dalin had crossed the line first in 2021 as well after 80 days at sea, only to see Yannick Bestaven awarded the win after receiving a time bonus for helping rescue another competitor.

There was no such disappointment for the 40-year-old Dalin this year at Les Sables-d'Olonne, the seaside port on the Atlantic coast of western France that serves as both the start and finish of the race. Dalin smashed Armel Le Cleac'h’s previous record by more than nine days, winning the grueling event in just 64 days, 19 hours and 22 minutes on his MACIF Santé Prévoyance yacht.

Dalin stood on his boat and threw both arms up in the air as he reached the finish surrounded by a flotilla of small pleasure boats.

"It's the best finish line of my whole career, and by far," Dalin said. "I never experienced such emotions. With the daylight starting to break through, it was unbelievable."

Le Cléac'h set the previous record in 2017, in 74 days, 3 hours and 36 minutes. The race is held every four years with sailors competing single-handed and unassisted on their boats.

Dalin, a graduate in naval architecture from the University of Southampton, led the fleet for a total of 42 days and was constantly in the lead since Dec. 30.

The race takes sailors around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin in western Australia and South America's Cape Horn, over some 24,000 nautical miles (about 44,500 kilometers).

Dalin led at the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin but then chased long-time rival Yoann Richomme around Cape Horn with a deficit of 9 minutes, 30 seconds before taking the lead again in the South Atlantic.

Dalin, who comes from Le Havre in Normandy, fell in love with the sport as a 6-year-old during a holiday sailing course in Brittany. Dalin honed his skills in the Figaro class for seven seasons before entering the IMOCA circuit in 2019. In addition to his second-place finish at the 2021 Vendee Globe, he was also runner-up in the 2022 Route du Rhum, a transatlantic race from France to the Caribbean.