Category: Trophée Jules Verne 2024/2025
They’re off !
It was 01.40 UTC (14 h 40 FR) on Saturday, November 29, when the eight women of The Famous Project CIC, aboard the maxi trimaran IDEC SPORT, crossed the starting line of the Jules Verne Trophy, the extreme round-the-world race for crewed multihulls, without stops or assistance.
The date and time are worth noting, because since 1998 and the unfortunately aborted attempt by British sailor Tracy Edwards on the catamaran Royal&Sun Alliance, no all-female crew has taken up this immense challenge. Alexia Barrier, from Antibes, has already achieved the feat of getting to the starting line, with an international crew of eight sailors of seven different nationalities, aged 23 to 52, who come from all corners of the sailing world, from Olympic sailing to ocean racing, and who have thus set out on a dangerous 40,000 km voyage via the three great capes, the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin, and Cape Horn, in an attempt to break the most fabulous sailing record, set nine years ago by Francis Joyon and his five-man crew: 40 days, 23 hours, and 30 minutes.
The Bay of Biscay, shaken by the passage of a front, welcomes the sailors with its stormy weather, waves of 4 to 5 meters, and a northwesterly wind that is fortunately well oriented to favor downwind sailing. There is only one watchword: caution! Don’t break anything, and get as comfortable as possible while waiting for the wind to drop and the sea to calm down in the middle of next week, somewhere off the coast of Portugal. Then the smiles, good humor, and kindness that are Alexia’s trademark will return, heralding a truly extraordinary round-the-world voyage.
ALEXIA BARRIER, captain. “We are strong together.”
“I am very happy today, on the day of departure for the Jules Verne Trophy with my team. I feel very lucky and grateful for all the work that has been done over the last few months and years, all together. It’s really a collective celebration to be at the starting line.
Obviously, I’m a little nervous because what we’re doing is huge. But what reassures me a lot is having these incredible girls by my side. I’m not alone and I know my team is up to the task.
We’ll be sailing downwind until we reach the equator. These are conditions we know well. Further on, the doldrums are still shifting. As Brian Thompson, who has helped us a lot throughout this training course on trimarans with the girls, would say, “You’re going to experience the toughest 24 hours of your Jules Verne Trophy. “
So we need to stay focused and conservative so we don’t hurt ourselves or break anything on the first day.
We don’t have a battle cry, we just hug each other tightly. I know that once we leave the bridge, we’ll start singing and smiling again. Our comfort zone is being happy together. I see a lot of emotion in the girls’ eyes, and I’m happy to take them on this journey.
I’m proud of what we’ve all done together once again.”
DEE CAFFARI: “A very good start!”
“I’m surprisingly calm, but I think I’m calm to help everyone else, because you can feel a certain nervousness. The main goal has always been to get to the starting line, and I think today we took a big step forward. It’s an important milestone, and I think it deserves a little celebration.
It’s been a long road, with ups and downs, but Alexia never lost confidence or faith in herself, and I supported her throughout. So I’m very happy to be here. Today it’s about reminding the girls that we’re just going to sail, which is what they do perfectly, but simply that they won’t be sleeping in a bed for a few days. That’s exactly what we practiced in training, so we’re just going to set off, enjoy ourselves, and do what we know how to do. We wanted a perfect start, but perfection doesn’t exist in sailing, because we’re at the mercy of Mother Nature. That said, it’s a very good start. “
The crew :
Alexia Barrier (46) – France – Captain
Dee Caffari (53) – Great Britain – First Officer
Annemieke Bes (47) – Netherlands
Rebecca Bex Gmuer (25) – Switzerland – New Zealand
Deborah Blair (23) – Great Britain
Molly Lapointe (30) – American-Italian – Boat Captain
Tamara Xiquita Echegoyen (41) – Spain
Stacey Jackson (42) – Australia
They said:
Daniel Baal, President of CIC
”The time has come to wish the best of luck to the entire crew of The Famous Project CIC. Congratulations to Alexia for holding on to her dream and putting this project together against all odds, always with enthusiasm and professionalism. In my eyes, this departure is already a victory and proves how much this commitment goes beyond sporting performance. The CIC is proud to support The Famous Project CIC, because through this initiative, we want to demonstrate our support for women’s commitment in all its dimensions. Now it’s time for sport. It’s up to Alexia, Dee, Stacey, Tamara, Molly, Deborah, Rebecca, and Annemieke to write their story, their adventure. We are with them. Make us dream.”
Patrice Lafargue: President of the IDEC Group
“We are delighted to support Alexia Barrier and her crew in their attempt to break the Jules Verne Trophy record. The IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran has a unique history, and seeing it set sail today with an all-female crew ready to take on one of the most demanding records is a source of immense pride for all the employees of the IDEC GROUP. The Jules Verne Trophy embodies the strong values we share: respect for the environment, inclusion, passion, pushing oneself beyond one’s limits, and commitment. Daring, setting challenges, and pushing boundaries: this is what drives the spirit of IDEC SPORT and the entire IDEC GROUP.”
Eric Pasquier, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Strategy Officer at Sopra Steria:
“We are proud to support these eight sailors as they embark on an extraordinary adventure. Beyond the technologies we are providing to help them in their challenge, the whole of Sopra Steria is behind them in this record attempt.
Their audacity and determination resonate deeply within our company. We wish them all the best and salute the scope of what they are attempting to achieve.”
Amanda Mille – Director of the Richard Mille brand and partnerships –
“Today marks a major milestone: the departure of The Famous Project CIC. The entire Richard Mille team stands by your side with admiration and pride. Your audacity, determination, and ability to overcome all challenges are a source of inspiration.”
The Famous Project CIC on the Jules Verne Trophy; start on Saturday !
The big challenge launched by Alexia Barrier and the seven women of “The Famous Project CIC” for the Jules Verne Trophy is set to begin on Saturday! A weather “window” is opening up over the near Atlantic this weekend, and the maxi trimaran IDEC SPORT will leave the pontoon in Brest (Quai du Commandant Malbert) on Saturday morning between 11 a.m. and noon to reach the official starting line for all great sailing records, between the Créac’h lighthouse on the island of Ouessant and Lizard Point lighthouse (England). Alexia, Dee (Cafari), Annemieke (Bes), Rebecca (Gmuer), Deb (Blair), Molly (Lapointe), Xiquita (Etchegoyen), and Stacey (Jackson) are setting out to conquer the ultimate round-the-world race, unassisted, non-stop, and in a maxi multihull. Their long preparation is coming to an end, and it is with enthusiasm, mutual trust, and excitement that they are attempting to beat the breathtaking time set in 2017 by Francis Joyon and his five crew members aboard the same legendary trimaran, IDEC SPORT: 40 days and 23 hours. Above all, they aim to “close the loop” and become the first all-female crew to achieve this feat.
Crossing the starting line on Saturday afternoon!
“There is no such thing as an ideal weather window,” Alexia Barrier repeats, supported in this by Christian Dumard, the shore-based weather expert. Choosing the right time to start is inevitably a compromise between wind, sea conditions, and the alignment of short, medium, and long-term weather systems. The space offered this Saturday by the circulation of two High pressure systems over the North Atlantic encourages a start, with an immediate race against time and against the movement of a high-pressure area threatening to close the door off Cape Finisterre. “The front will pass over the starting area on Saturday morning,” explains Christian Dumard, a well recognized weather specialist. “The idea is to leave just behind it, in the early afternoon, in a northwesterly wind of less than 30 knots, which will gradually weaken. This window is very short and does not necessarily offer an absolute chance of achieving a “blistering” time at the equator. But it does offer favorable wind and sea conditions for downwind sailing and a relatively comfortable start for the crew.”
Downwind start in rough seas…
This is a desirable criterion for Alexia and her seven female crew members, who refuse to put themselves “in the red” right from the start. “We will leave Brest on Saturday before noon and cross the line about two hours later. There will be rough seas, with swells of over 4 meters, which are perfectly manageable aboard IDEC SPORT.” continues Alexia. “The danger is that the high-pressure system centered off the coast of Portugal will grow and block us as we pass Cape Finisterre. We would then have to turn back and resume our standby in Brest.” This is a scenario that the eight women of The Famous Project CIC do not even consider, as the desire to succeed is clear on their faces. “All the teams, both at sea and on land, are more motivated than ever to make this departure a success and finally embark on the wonderful adventure that awaits us… “
How to follow The Famous Project CIC’s record attempt ?
– The official The Famous Project CIC app on iOS and Android, available for download
– The Famous Project CIC maps: https://
– The website: https://thefamousproject.io/
– The Famous Project CIC social media: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook
– Daily LIVE updates from on board via The Famous Project CIC YouTube channel
The crew :
Alexia Barrier – France – Captain
Dee Caffari – Great Britain – Second
Annemieke Bes – Netherlands
Rebecca Bex Gmuer – Switzerland – New Zeeland
Deborah Blair- Great Britain
Molly Lapointe – USA-Italy – Boat Captain
Tamara Xiquita Echegoyen – Spain
Stacey Jackson – Australia
The Jules Verne Trophy route
• Cross the starting line defined by a line connecting the Créac’h lighthouse on the island of Ouessant and the Lizard Point lighthouse.
• Sail around the world, passing Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin, and Cape Horn on the port side.
• Cross the line defined above in the opposite direction.
Great circle distance of 21,760 nautical miles (40,300 km).
Jules Verne Trophy record: IDEC SPORT, Francis Joyon 2017
40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes
Average speed of 22.84 knots
Crew: Francis Joyon, Sébastien Audigane, Gwénolé Gahinet, Alex Pella, Clément Surtel, Bernard Stamm
