Merci Charlie!
by Hommage à Charlie Dalin 16 Sep 13:50 BST
15 September 2026
The sea, sailors and the public gathered for a tribute to Charlie Dalin © Vincent Curutchet / Disobey
The sea, sailors and the public gathered for a tribute to Charlie Dalin
More than 150 boats on the water, between 15,000 and 20,000 people gathered along the 1.5-kilometer Concarneau coastline, a giant mural on the sand, sailors of all generations and backgrounds... This Tuesday, the sailing world and a public from all over France and beyond came together to celebrate Charlie Dalin, who passed away on June 10th. A popular, maritime, and deeply moving tribute, conceived according to his wishes: joyful, collective, and resolutely focused on children.
They came from Brest, Nantes, Strasbourg, Belgium, Marseille, and even California. Sailors, ordinary people, sailing enthusiasts, or simply admirers: they all had a reason to be there. But perhaps 11-year-old Mathis found the most fitting words: "We're going to celebrate Charlie Dalin, cheer him, thank him, and remember him. It's a day full of hope: you must never give up and always try to make your dreams come true." That was precisely the spirit of the day. To celebrate a great sailor, of course, but also the man and what he leaves behind: a powerful invitation to believe in your dreams.
"Thank you Charlie, proud to have crossed your path"
The tribute began on the sands of Kerleven beach in La Forêt-Fouesnant. Under the guidance of the La Forêt Verte association and the artist Philippe Compain, primary school children, members of the technical team, and many members of the public participated in creating a monumental mural measuring 26 meters by 12. A portrait of Charlie accompanied by these words: "Thank you Charlie, proud to have crossed paths with you." A powerful first image of a day conceived around remembrance and children, just as Charlie had wished.
And then the sea filled. From 32-meter Ultim trimarans to tiny Optimists from sailing schools, more than 150 boats converged to form an exceptional parade. Four Ultim trimarans, an Ocean Fifty, fifteen IMOCAs, Class40s, Figaro Bénéteau 3s, Mini 6.50s, wingfoils, dinghies, and a veritable armada of Optimists helmed by children from local clubs. Alongside them, fishermen and recreational sailors were also present, as were six SNSM (French Sea Rescue Society) lifeboats, the French Navy patrol boat Le Cormoran, and the Abeille Bretagne, which paid tribute to Charlie with impressive sprays of water. All the sails, all the generations, all the faces of the sea gathered for one man.
"Charlie is doing something incredible: bringing all the sailors together. Charlie was a virtuoso. He will be remembered as someone very humble and incredibly persevering. He also leaves us his smile.", Catherine Chabaud, Minister of the Sea and Fisheries
A mark that will now be inscribed even on nautical charts: the Linuen beacon, in the bay of Concarneau, will be renamed Linuen - Charlie Dalin. "All sailors will thus be able to salute him at sea," the minister announced.
A Whole Sea for Charlie
Along the 1.5 kilometer of the Concarneau coastline, a huge crowd gathered to witness this incredible parade. On the beach, a giant screen and a globe were displayed, a nod to the oceans Charlie had crossed and to the round-the-world trip that had been his lifelong dream.
"We put this tribute together in six weeks and everyone got involved: the city, the department, the seafaring community, the Élysée Palace... Everyone wanted to celebrate Charlie. Charlie was more than a great sailor, he was a great man, an inspiration. He touched people's hearts. That's why there are so many people here today. I had dreamed of a rainbow and we saw it in the spray of water from the Abeille Bretagne. It's a wink from Charlie...", Yannick Perrigot, director of the Disobey agency and organizer
In the middle of this fleet, one boat inevitably attracted all eyes: MACIF Santé Prévoyance, the IMOCA with which Charlie Dalin had won the Vendée Globe 2024-2025 even though he was suffering from cancer.
The yellow and blue IMOCA sailed up the Concarneau channel, the technical team on board, including Perrine Le Pape-Dalin and their son Oscar. A final farewell to the boat Charlie had designed to win the solo, non-stop round-the-world race.
Then noise replaced words: foghorns, sirens, applause, smoke bombs, and water cannons from the Abeille Bretagne all sounded together for a "minute of noise" for Charlie. Eyes turned skyward: the French Navy joined in the tribute with an ATL2 maritime patrol aircraft, and the Patrouille de France performed aerobatic display above the immense crowd gathered by the sea.
Finally, the sky lit up. A fireworks display, like thousands of stars in an azure sky, punctuated this grand collective celebration. A suspended moment, between festivity and emotion.
"It's both sad and beautiful," says Hervé, who came from Nantes. Éric traveled from Strasbourg: "His courage gives us strength. It was important for me to come and pay tribute to him."
"Charlie would have been proud today."
For Perrine Le Pape-Dalin, this day obviously held a special significance. Because this tribute was something Charlie himself had wanted. "Charlie would have been proud today! He's the one who asked me to do it, and I respected his wish. It's very emotional, but I'm thoroughly enjoying this day. Oscar and I decided we were going to have a great day and make the most of it."
She especially wanted to thank those who had shown her their affection for weeks. "It's all these people who gave me strength. All the messages I received were incredible. Charlie would have been proud to see everything he inspired, far beyond offshore racing. He wanted us all to be together."
Jean-Luc Denéchau, president of the French Sailing Federation, also chose to look towards the sea and towards the children: "Charlie was a great sailor, a simple, generous and incredibly passionate man. Together, we celebrate Charlie, on land and on the water, with all these children sailing before our eyes. Our gaze turns towards the horizon and I see Charlie's smile, which will never fade..."
And amidst this crowd, these boats, these children, and all these eyes turned towards the sea and the sky, Charlie's words resonated one last time, carried by Perrine: "Believe in your dreams, even when they seem impossible."
Une Légion d'honneur
Catherine Chabaud presented Oscar, 9 years old, with the Légion d'honneur medal from the President of the Republic, awarded to his father following his victory in the Vendée Globe.
A day to say goodbye, but above all to say thank you.
Thank you to the sailor. Thank you to the man. Thank you for the dreams passed on and for this unwavering determination to never give up.