Alexia Barrier, first woman to race an Ultim in the Route du Rhum
On 1 November, Alexia Barrier will become the first woman to start the Route du Rhum in the Ultim class, the 32-metre giants (CIC). She will race solo on IDEC Sport - CIC, a boat that knows the way to Pointe-à-Pitre better than any other.
The trimaran with three wins
Launched on 7 June 2006, designed by VPLP and built by Multiplast in Vannes, this trimaran has changed names several times. It has won the Route du Rhum three times, each time in different colours (Wikipedia, Groupama 3):
| Edition | Boat name | Skipper |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Groupama 3 | Franck Cammas |
| 2014 | Banque Populaire VII | Loïck Peyron |
| 2018 | IDEC Sport | Francis Joyon |
In 2014 Loïck Peyron set the record of the day on it, 7 days 15 hours 8 minutes 32 seconds. The same boat also held the Jules Verne Trophy: Francis Joyon and his crew sailed around the world in 40 days 23 hours 30 minutes in 2017, a record that only fell in January 2026. It is an older boat facing the new generation of flying Ultims, but a proven one.
Around the world before going solo
Alexia Barrier already knows this trimaran inside out. With The Famous Project CIC, she sailed it around the world with an all-female crew, with Dee Caffari as co-skipper. Setting off on 29 November 2025, they completed the Jules Verne Trophy course on 26 January 2026, in just under 58 days. It was the first non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation by an all-female crew under the trophy's rules. The final weeks were hard: on 21 January the mainsail tore and the crew finished under headsails (World Sailing, Yachting World).
Born in 1979, Alexia Barrier also completed the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe in 111 days, finishing 24th on the oldest boat in the fleet (Wikipedia).
Qualifying: the first real solo test
Sailing a 32-metre trimaran alone has nothing in common with a crew of eight. To qualify, she left Brest on 31 August and returned on 4 September, after about 1,200 miles solo out past Ireland, in winds of up to 35 knots. It was her first real sail alone on board (Figaro Nautisme, Boatnews).
More than fifty school classes will follow her race through the educational kit of 4myplanet, the association she founded (IDEC Sport).
Up against seven Ultims
She will face seven other Ultims, including defending champion Charles Caudrelier and Thomas Coville, who took the Jules Verne record from her boat in January. The full list is in the Ultims and their skippers, the history of the race record in Route du Rhum: the story of the record, and the round-the-world story in Jules Verne Trophy: the story of the record.