Thursday, January 22, 2026 – The sensible approach to crossing the finish line on Monday, January 26
The sailors of The Famous Project CIC are thinking hard, pondering and strategizing aboard the Maxi Trimaran IDEC SPORT. And their desire to finish this first women’s round-the-world race in a maxi multihull as quickly as possible is compounded by a host of criteria that conflict with pure performance. Impossible seas, strong winds from the wrong direction, a damaged boat… these are just some of the uncertainties that Alexia Barrier, Dee Caffari, Annemieke Bes, Rebecca Gmür Hornell, Deborah Blair, Molly LaPointe, Támara Echegoyen, and Stacey Jackson have chosen to respond to by listening to the voice of reason.
It is generally agreed that it would be pointless and unreasonable to face the worst, and the international crew led by Alexia and Dee prefers to bide its time, sheltering in the Azores archipelago rather than tempting fate, which is set to rage over the next 48 hours off the Iberian Peninsula and as far as the tip of Brittany. Only then, on Saturday morning they hope, will they brave the still rough ocean to head directly for Ushant and the coveted finish line, which they could cross on Monday, January 26, in the morning.
Christian Dumard, shore-based router:
“After careful consideration, they have decided to wait. The reasons: heavy seas with waves expected to reach between 8 and 9.5 meters, with winds of over 45 knots and gusts of 55-60 knots. It is wiser to wait offshore for around 30 hours and set off again on Saturday morning, 24 January, to finish in conditions that will remain rough (6 to 7-meter waves and 35 knots/gusts of 45-50 knots) with an ETA on Monday morning, 26 January.”
Torn mainsail
As the route to Ouessant, Brittany, and Brest becomes increasingly fraught with formidable obstacles in the form of particularly violent winter storms, difficulties are mounting aboard the Maxi Trimaran IDEC SPORT sailed by the women of The Famous Project CIC.
The latest, and not least, was the tearing of the mainsail yesterday afternoon as the boat maneuvered to slip into the heart of the Azores archipelago. It took four hours of effort, with American Molly LaPointe hanging from the mast, to bring the sail back and secure it at the second reef. This is certainly a minimalist configuration but, ironically, it corresponds precisely to the sail area needed to withstand the harsh conditions that are establishing themselves in the area. A brutal, severe and irreparable stroke of bad luck at sea, which ultimately deprived Alexia Barrier, Dee Caffari, Annemieke Bes, Rebecca Gmür Hornell, Deborah Blair, Molly LaPointe, Támara Echegoyen and Stacey Jackson of three-quarters of their mainsail.
Weather
The west-northwest wind is picking up and the sea is getting rougher. Slowed down by this untimely tear, the sailors of The Famous Project CIC saw the small “gateway” they had glimpsed to escape the strongest winds near Cape Finisterre close inexorably. Winds of 40 knots and above, coming from Labrador, will batter the Galician coast from midday onwards, raising waves already measured at over 7 meters. The route to the Bay of Biscay is blocked. In this context, Alexia and her “girls” are now expecting to cross the finish line at Ushant on Sunday evening or Monday.
Alexia Barrier :
“Our mainsail was torn in two when we gybed to take in reef 1. It was 3 p.m. UTC. In short, we spent three hours trying to lower the mainsail. Finally, we managed to lower it to reef 2. We have a piece of mainsail left, just enough for reef 2. So we resumed our course. It can’t be repaired, and in any case, two reefs are enough to get to Brest with the weather we’re going to have.“
Dee Caffari :
”We have to fight for every kilometer we cover in this final stretch. We have chosen tenacity, resilience, and teamwork to overcome the challenges we face. There have been 30 attempts to win the Jules Verne Trophy, but only 14 of them have successfully circumnavigated the globe. Only 9 of them have resulted in a record. In a few days, these figures will change, and that’s exciting. History is being written, examples of what is possible are being created. If it were easy, everyone would do it. ”
Excerpt from an article by The Famous Project CIC
Follow the adventure on IDEC SPORT’s social media and via the comprehensive map =>> https://trimaran-idec.geovoile.com/julesverne/2025/viewer/
