Skipper, Maxi Edmond de Rothschild

Charles Caudrelier

Having trained as an officer in the Merchant Navy, Charles Caudrelier has carved out one of the finest track records in French and international offshore racing through a career already spanning 25 years.

His promising victory in the Solitaire du Figaro 2004 ought to have paved the way for a campaign in the legendary Vendée Globe. Opportunities were slow to come his way however and the sailor opted instead to broaden his experience rather than remain on land. Switching between monohulls and multihulls, inshore and offshore racing, he became a sought-after name among a plethora of skippers. A seasoned athlete, a relentless worker and a recognised high performer, he racked up a series of campaigns and excellent results, with the Transat Jacques Vabre among his major victories. In 2010, he discovered the Anglo-Saxon world of the Volvo Ocean Race, immersing himself in it for seven years and securing two major wins in this round the world with stopovers: the first as part of Franck Cammas’ crew and the second as skipper of a Sino-French crew.

In 2019, he joined Gitana Team and became skipper of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. At the helm of this revolutionary maxi-trimaran, a pioneering craft designed to fly in the open ocean, the sailor made a clean sweep of the prizes, culminating in February’s epic win.
Indeed, on the back of his victory in the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe 2022 in a time of 6 days 19 hours 47 mins and 25 seconds, a new event record, Charles Caudrelier followed through with a masterful win in the Arkea Ultim Challenge Brest, on 27 February 2024. In so doing, he became the first sailor in history to race around the world single-handed on a large flying offshore trimaran; a truly extraordinary achievement!