France’s Alexia Barrier leads all-female crew in Jules Verne Trophy bid
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French skipper Alexia Barrier sails aboard the Ultim multihull Idec Sport off the coast of Brittany, western France, on Oct 9, 2025. A crew of eight female sailors will attempt to break the crewed, round the world, unassisted, and non-stop sailing record.
PHOTO: AFP
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PARIS – French skipper Alexia Barrier and her seven women teammates start their Jules Verne Trophy quest off the coast of Brest on Nov 29, aiming to set the first all-female crew reference time for the non-stop circumnavigation competition with no physical outside assistance.
“The Famous Project CIC”, as it is called, first came to Barrier’s mind after the 2020-21 Vendee Globe, where she was one of the 13 women in history to complete the solo, non-stop and unassisted around-the-world event. She finished 24th.
“When I saw the Jules Verne's figures, with even fewer women than the Vendee Globe, it encouraged me to put together an all-female crew to give women around the world a chance,” the 46-year-old skipper told Reuters.
Out of over 250 skippers to have started the Jules Verne Trophy, only 14 have been female, including the last all-women attempt led by British sailor Tracy Edwards in 1998. They eventually dismasted their boat near Cape Horn.
Britain’s Denise Caffari, who claimed sixth place in the 2008-09 Vendee Globe and became the first woman to sail solo, non-stop, around the world in both directions, was the first to join Barrier’s project.
“It was such a crazy idea that I couldn’t resist,” the 52-year-old told Reuters. “It was one of those ideas that seemed out of reach and here was somebody with an idea to put it within our reach and it was quite special.”
More than 300 applications landed in Barrier’s office.
“It was a surprise, especially since it wasn’t just top-level sailors who responded, but women in Korea, Japan and the US who had other jobs,” she said. “Knowing that it lit a flame in them was deeply moving.”
INTERNATIONAL CREW
The team was officially presented last summer with the Netherlands’ Annemieke Bes, Swiss-New Zealander Rebecca Gmuer, Britain’s Deborah Blair, American-Italian Molly Lapointe, Spain’s Tamara Echegoyen and Australia’s Stacey Jackson joining Barrier and Caffari in a global crew.
“It was obvious to me to have an international crew in order to open as many doors as possible to as many people as possible,” Barrier said.
The crew will sail the 32-metre Idec Sport trimaran, which holds the current Jules Verne Trophy when skippered by Francis Joyon in 2017 and won three Route du Rhum transatlantic single-handed races in 2010, 2014 and 2018.
“Idec Sport is the boat I have always dreamed of, which has fascinated me, and I never imagined I would one day be the captain of this boat,” Barrier said.
To break the record, they must complete the circumnavigation in under 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds.
“I think our first success will be Saturday, getting to the start line,” Caffari said.
“You have to believe it’s possible because we're going to go and experience really difficult weather, very hard conditions, and it’s not something that you do light-heartedly.”
Barrier hopes to cross the line “in a not ridiculous time”, which means “less than 50 days”. REUTERS
