Jules Verne Trophy: Women's crew without a big team, but with pride at the finish line

"Always first!" This battle cry has accompanied The Famous Project CIC around the world, motivating and driving them to the finish line. Now, for the first time, an all-female crew has reached the finish line of a Jules Verne challenge. One day after the Sodebo triumph, they did so without a mainsail and without the chance of breaking the record, but nevertheless with unbridled pride on board the trimaran "Idec Sport".

Making history with the Jules Verne Trophy

The eight sailors who joined forces in The Famous Project CIC are skipper Alexia Barrier, co-skipper Dee Caffari, Annemieke Bes, Rebecca Gmür Hornell, Deborah Blair, Molly LaPointe, Olympic match race champion Támara Echegoyen and Stacey Jackson. They started their battle for the Jules Verne Trophy on 28 November. Their most important goals: "To make history in women's sport and sailing."

The women were aware of the enormity of the task, as they were in action with the very boat that had set the nine-year record in 2017, which Thomas Coville and Team Sodebo were able to crack the day before. Originally built by Multiplast in 2006, the 31.5 metre long "Idec Sport", which was launched again in May 2024 after an extensive refit, was to be the first all-female sailing team to take its ambitious crew around the world. She did so in 57 days, 21 hours and 20 minutes.

This lap around the world was not easy, as the team led by skipper Alexia Barrier had to face a number of challenges soon after the start in December. Problems with the broken mainsail lock to cope with. By then, however, the absolute decision had already been made to continue the circumnavigation, even with technical restrictions. Towards the end of the XL challenge, the mainsail shredded completely and became unusable. The women still made it to the finish line.

Jules Verne Trophy: finishing what Tracy Edwards had started

Tracy Edwards was the first skipper of a female crew to take on the challenge of the Jules Verne Trophy in 1998. She entered the race with the Royal SunAlliance catamaran and a crew of ten. Things were going promisingly until her hopes were dashed when her mast fell off the Chilean coast. But Alexia Barrier and her crew made it around the world.

I'm really proud of us! We had to overcome a series of technical hurdles. But we never gave up." Alexia Barrier

The most experienced sailor in The Famous Project CIC was Dee Caffari, who completed her fabulous seventh (!) circumnavigation on "Idec Sport" as part of the Jules Verne Trophy. The Briton can look back on non-stop solo circumnavigations with and against the prevailing winds as well as ocean races with crew and stops and has - among men and women - one of the greatest historical treasures of experience in her domain.

Co-skipper to Alexia Barrier, Dee Caffari said at the finish of her now completed latest challenge: "It was a lot faster than usual, but we had to work harder. It was like being on a battlefield, but we came out victorious. That's how I feel about it."

The first achievement is accomplished

Offshore professional Annemieke Bes said on the way to the harbour in Brest: "We didn't always know whether we would make it to the finish. Our mainsail tore into four pieces. We are super proud of ourselves today!" The Ocean Race sailor and three-time Olympian from the Netherlands, who won silver in the Yngling in Qingdao in 2008, was one of the strong pillars of The Famous Project CIC.

Australian Stacy Jackson said: "In a 57-day race, it's easy to have bad days at sea. The tough experiences are really hard. But the good things are really great!" Dee Caffari is not the only one who knows: "If it were easy, everyone would do it." Caffari made this observation after the first tear in the mainsail in the previous year. In the final, things got even more difficult for the women because the mainsail had completely "exploded" after 55 days at sea and was unusable.

None of these and other setbacks could throw the eight women off course. Now, on 26 January, they have achieved the feat they had hoped for: the first non-stop circumnavigation of the world on a maxi multihull by women sailors only. What had begun as a dream for the women from France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, New Zealand, Italy, the USA, Spain and Australia was once again threatened by a powerful winter storm in the final. They overcame that too.

Jules Verne record skipper Thomas Coville takes a bow

The achievement is to be highly valued. Dee Caffari categorised the completed lap around the world as follows: "This is a platform on which we can grow. We can now look even further because we are standing on the shoulders of giants. The fact that Thomas Coville and his crew gave us flowers today is really symbolic. It made me really emotional. And what they achieved yesterday is simply phenomenal. We are following in their footsteps. They should pay close attention to what comes behind them in the future."

Thomas Coville and members of the Sodebo team, the celebrated heroes of the Jules Verne Trophy the day before in the same harbour of Brest, welcomed the sailors personally. At the dock, Coville gave a short speech and said: "You are part of history. What you have achieved is incredible! And especially to you, Alexia: I have no idea where you get this crazy energy from. But you are so full of energy. You have achieved something extraordinary! You have my fullest admiration!"

Arrived! The Famous Projct CIC has crossed the finish line of the Jules Verne Trophy without a record, but proudly and confidently. The summary of the mammoth challenge and achievement: