Charlie Dalin to receive a major tribute in Concarneau

Concarneau will pay tribute to Charlie Dalin on Tuesday with a large ceremony bringing together the sea, the shore and the sky. The local hero died on June 10 at 42 from a rare intestinal cancer, months after winning the Vendée Globe while already aware of his illness. The ceremony will begin at 17:15 and can be followed by the public on a giant screen.

Two speeches, including one by Dalin’s widow, Perrine Le Pape-Dalin, will open the event. A nautical procession will then run from 17:30 for two hours, with about 50 boats taking part. Among the skippers expected are Jean Le Cam, Armel Le Cléac’h, Charles Caudrelier and Michel Desjoyeaux, alongside fishermen and recreational sailors who knew the Concarneau waters where Dalin trained.

At 18:30, the Imoca Macif, the boat on which Dalin won the Vendée Globe, will lead a passage through the channel. Fifteen minutes later, foghorns, sirens and applause will create a minute-long tribute in the bay. The Patrouille de France will fly over the site at 18:54, followed by fireworks from 18:55. The ceremony is scheduled to finish at 19:10. President Emmanuel Macron will not attend.