Thank you Charlie !

More than 150 boats on the water, between 15,000 and 20,000 people gathered along Concarneau’s 1.5-kilometre-long seafront, a giant artwork drawn in the sand, sailors from every generation and every class… On Tuesday, the sailing world and people who had travelled from across France and beyond came together to celebrate the life of Charlie Dalin, who passed away on June 10. A popular, maritime and deeply moving tribute, organised in accordance with his wishes: joyful, collective and resolutely centred on children.

They came from Brest, Nantes, Strasbourg, Belgium, Marseille and even California. Sailors, members of the public, sailing enthusiasts and simply admirers: everyone had their own reason for being there. But perhaps 11-year-old Mathis put it best: “We’re going to celebrate Charlie Dalin, cheer for him, thank him and think of him. It’s a day full of hope: you should never give up and always try to make your dreams come true.” That was precisely the spirit of the day. Celebrating an extraordinary sailor, of course, but also the man and what he leaves behind: a powerful invitation to believe in your dreams.
© Olivier Blanchet / Disobey
“THANK YOU, CHARLIE. PROUD TO HAVE CROSSED YOUR WAKE.”

The tribute began on the sands of Kerleven beach, in La Forêt-Fouesnant. Led by the La Forêt Verte association and artist Philippe Compain, children from primary school classes, members of the technical team and numerous members of the public took part in creating a monumental 26-by-12-metre artwork. A portrait of Charlie accompanied by the words: “Thank you, Charlie. Proud to have crossed your wake.” A powerful first image of a day built around passing things on to future generations and around children, just as Charlie had wished.

And then the sea filled up. From 32-metre Ultim boats to the tiny Optimists sailed by children from local sailing schools, more than 150 boats converged to form an exceptional parade. Four Ultims, one Ocean Fifty, fifteen IMOCA boats, Class40s, Figaro Bénéteau 3s, Mini 6.50s, wingfoils, dinghies and a veritable armada of Optimists helmed by children from local clubs. Fishermen and pleasure boaters also turned out in force, along with six SNSM lifeboats, the French Navy patrol vessel Le Cormoran and Abeille Bretagne, which saluted Charlie with spectacular plumes of water. Every sail, every generation, every face of the sea united for one man.

“Charlie is achieving something incredible: bringing all sailors together. Charlie was a virtuoso. He will leave behind the memory of someone extremely humble and incredibly persistent. He also leaves us his smile.” — Catherine Chabaud, Minister for the Sea and Fisheries

His legacy will now even be inscribed on nautical charts: the Linuen navigation buoy in Concarneau Bay will be renamed Linuen – Charlie Dalin. “This way, all sailors will be able to salute him at sea,” the minister announced.
© DIRM NAMO
AN ENTIRE SEA FOR CHARLIE

Along Concarneau’s 1.5-kilometre seafront, huge crowds gathered to watch this extraordinary parade. On the beach stood a giant screen and a globe, a nod to the oceans Charlie sailed and to the round-the-world voyage that had been his lifelong dream.

“We put this tribute together in six weeks, and everyone got on board with the project: the town, the département, the maritime community, the Élysée Palace… Everyone wanted to celebrate Charlie. Charlie was more than a great sailor; he was a great, inspiring man. He touched people’s hearts. That’s why there are so many people here today. I had dreamed of a rainbow, and we saw one in the plumes of water from Abeille Bretagne. It’s a wink from Charlie…” — Yannick Perrigot, director of Disobey agency and event organiser

Amid this fleet, one boat inevitably drew every eye: MACIF Santé Prévoyance, the IMOCA aboard which Charlie Dalin won the 2024–2025 Vendée Globe, even as he was battling cancer.

The yellow-and-blue IMOCA sailed up the Concarneau channel, with members of the technical team on board, alongside Perrine Le Pape-Dalin and their son Oscar. It was a final farewell to the boat Charlie had designed to win the non-stop solo round-the-world race.

Then noise replaced words: foghorns, sirens, applause, flares and plumes of water from Abeille Bretagne came together for a “minute of noise” for Charlie. All eyes turned skyward: the French Navy joined the tribute with an ATL2 maritime patrol aircraft, while the Patrouille de France put on a display above the immense crowd gathered facing the sea.

Finally, the sky lit up. Fireworks, like thousands of stars against an azure sky, brought this great collective farewell to a close. A suspended moment, somewhere between celebration and emotion.

“It’s both sad and beautiful,” said Hervé, who had travelled from Nantes. Éric had made the journey from Strasbourg: “His courage gives us strength. It was important for me to come and pay my respects.”
© Olivier Blanchet / Disobey
“CHARLIE WOULD HAVE BEEN PROUD TODAY”

For Perrine Le Pape-Dalin, the day naturally had a very special significance. Because Charlie himself had asked for this tribute. “Charlie would have been proud today! He was the one who asked me to do this, and I respected his wish. It’s an incredibly emotional day, but I’m really making the most of it. Oscar and I said to each other that we were going to have a wonderful day and enjoy it.”

Above all, she wanted to thank those who had shown their affection and support in recent weeks. “It’s all these people who have given me strength. All the messages and tributes I’ve received have been incredible. Charlie would have been proud to see everything he inspired, far beyond offshore racing. He wanted us all to come together.”

Jean-Luc Denéchau, president of the French Sailing Federation, also chose to look towards the sea and towards the children: “Charlie was an extraordinary sailor, a simple, generous man, and so passionate. Together, we are celebrating Charlie, on land and on the water, with all these children sailing before our eyes. Our eyes turn towards the horizon, and I can see Charlie’s smile, which will never fade…”

And amid this crowd, these boats, these children and all these eyes turned towards the sea and the sky, Charlie’s words echoed one final time, spoken by Perrine: “Believe in your dreams, even when they seem impossible.”

THE LÉGION D’HONNEUR

Catherine Chabaud presented nine-year-old Oscar, on behalf of the President of the French Republic, with the Légion d’honneur medal awarded posthumously 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 he passed on, and for his determination never to give up.
© Olivier Blanchet