Priority to his recovery. This Thursday, skipper Charlie Dalin, winner of the last Vendée Globe, announced his withdrawal for the 2026 season of the Imoca circuit and the next Route du rhum, the departure of which is scheduled for November 1 in Saint-Malo. The Norman, suffering from cancer, is replaced by the Briton Sam Goodchild.
“Not racing this season is a difficult decision, but necessary to focus on my health and recovery,” explained the 41-year-old athlete. I am currently prohibited from sailing solo offshore, but I remain authorized to sail with a crew, which I will do in particular alongside Sam Goodchild. My commitment to Sam and the technical team remains total. Together, we will continue to write the history of this boat and prepare the next one, with the same demands and the same passion that have always driven me. »
“A tumor the size of a grapefruit”
Last October, Charlie Dalin revealed that he had competed in the Vendée Globe despite having intestinal cancer. “Everything changed five days before the start of the Transat Jacques-Vabre 2023, when I was told that, in my stomach, I had a tumor the size of a grapefruit,” he explained to us. A size so large that doctors think it was there for several years, perhaps even during my first Vendée Globe (2020). »
Despite the treatment and the pain, the Norman embarked on the Vendée Globe adventure, ending with a victory in 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes and 49 seconds. “During the entire race, fatigue was latent, a bit as if I was on sleeping pills,” he said. I slept an average of 6.5 hours per 24 hours. Sometimes 11 hours, in splits. » Enough to win.
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