French sailor Charlie Dalin made up for the disappointment of four years ago when he set a world record on his way to winning the Vendée Globe round-the-world race.
The 40-year-old covered the 24,300-mile (39,100 km) route in a time of 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes and 49 seconds, beating Armel Le Clech's 2017 record by more than nine minutes.
Dalin had finished second in the last edition of the individual race in 2021, crossing the line first before falling to second place when runner-up Yannick Bestaven was given a time bonus for helping save a competitor which resulted in him being declared the winner. .
This time, Dalin led the majority of the race with his closest rival, Yuan Richum, more than half a day behind.
“I've never felt anything like this. It's unbelievable,” said Dalin, who was joined by his wife and seven-year-old son on board his boat, the Massive, after he crossed the finish line off the coast of Brittany.
“I have been dreaming of this Vendee Globe since the day after the 2021 Vendee Globe.
“For four years, my team and I worked hard and gave everything we had to create this amazing boat. This is what we live for and we have achieved our goal.”
Bestaven's title defense ended at the end of December due to a series of problems with his boat.
Cornwall's Sam Goodchild is currently in fifth place, external In the race.
