Sailor Alexia Barrier (The Famous Project) and her six teammates completed the first non-stop round-the-world trip in a maxi-trimaran with an all-female crew on Monday January 26, off the coast of Brest, her team announced.
After 57 days and 21 minutes at sea, the Idec Sport sailboat crossed the line between the Créac’h lighthouse, on the island of Ouessant, and the Cape Lizard lighthouse, in England, at noon.
“The feeling when crossing the line is a great pride and also a deliverance. The last few days with the weather, it was difficult, the technical damage (…) I am very proud of the progress we made over 57 days”declared Alexia Barrier, 46, after making this record.
A previous female attempt in 1998
Deprived of a mainsail and battered by storm Ingrid, the sailors courageously completed their non-stop and unassisted circumnavigation around the world. The last attempt of its kind, led by the British Tracy Edwards and her teammates in 1998, was dismasted as it approached Cape Horn.
Aboard the sailboat used by Francis Joyon for his crew record in 2017 (40 days and 23 hours), Barrier, Dee Caffari, Deborah Blair, Annemieke Bes, Rebecca Gmür Hornell, Molly LaPointe, Támara Echegoyen and Stacey Jackson accomplished their objective: “establish a female reference time” around the world.
The seven women set off as part of the Jules-Verne trophy – a crewed round-the-world record – without, however, having the same means or the same preparation time as the biggest projects. “We ran after the delay that women have in our multihull sport. It was an opportunity to make up for some of that time. You have to remember that we started training four months before departure on this type of boat”underlined the skipper.
The Jules-Verne trophy, created in 1993 by Titouan Lamazou and Florence Arthaud, consists of sailing around the world in less than 80 days, without external assistance. He was beaten on Sunday by Thomas Coville and six teammates on Sodebo in 40 days and 10 hours.
