On 1 November 2026, Alexia Barrier will set sail single-handed from Saint-Malo at the helm of the Ultim IDEC SPORT-CIC, to cover the 3,542 miles separating the corsair city from Pointe-à-Pitre. Aboard this exceptional maxi-trimaran, a three-time winner of the legendary Route du Rhum, she will write a new chapter in the history of the boat and of offshore racing.
A few months after setting, with The Famous Project CIC, the first women’s reference time for the Jules Verne Trophy, Alexia Barrier approaches the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe with an ambition that goes beyond sporting performance alone. Her participation carries a committed project built on passing on knowledge, inspiring through women’s leadership and contributing to a better understanding of the ocean.
A sporting challenge aboard a legendary boat
Designed by VPLP and launched in June 2006, this 31.50-metre maxi-trimaran has established itself as one of the most successful boats in the history of offshore racing. It won all three editions of the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe held between 2010 and 2018:
- 2010, as Groupama 3: victory for Franck Cammas in 9 days, 3 hours, 14 minutes and 47 seconds;
- 2014, as Banque Populaire VII: victory for Loïck Peyron in 7 days, 15 hours, 8 minutes and 32 seconds, setting a new race record;
- 2018, as IDEC SPORT: victory for Francis Joyon in 7 days, 14 hours, 21 minutes and 47 seconds, after a duel with François Gabart.
On 1 November, the Ultim IDEC SPORT-CIC will therefore return to the start line in Saint-Malo, with Alexia Barrier at the helm and a new ambition: to make performance part of a project with real meaning.
Passing it on: bringing young people on board
The Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe will also be a remarkable educational tool. From Brest to Guadeloupe, by way of the Alpes-Maritimes, more than 50 classes have already signed up to follow Alexia Barrier’s race, using the educational kit designed by her association, 4myplanet.
Pupils will be able to discover the maxi-trimaran, learn what single-handed sailing involves, follow the sailor’s progress and gain a better understanding of the ocean and the changes it is undergoing. On the pontoons in Saint-Malo, some of them will also have the opportunity to talk directly with Alexia Barrier during dedicated sessions.
Once at sea, the exchange will continue remotely. In November, between manoeuvres, Alexia will answer the pupils’ questions by video and share with them the reality of life aboard the Ultim IDEC SPORT-CIC.
Through this approach, Alexia Barrier aims to make offshore racing more accessible and to show that performance can also be a tool for education, openness and awareness.
Innovating: putting every mile to work for the ocean
For Alexia Barrier, every voyage must also help to better understand and protect the ocean.
Working with IOC-UNESCO, IFREMER and Océanopolis Brest, she will carry a high-precision barometer and a weather buoy aboard the Ultim IDEC SPORT-CIC. The buoy will be deployed in the Atlantic to measure water temperature and atmospheric pressure.
This operation will build on the work carried out during the Jules Verne Trophy, when two ARGO floats and a weather buoy were deployed in particularly hard-to-reach areas. The race thus becomes a platform for scientific observation and a way to advance knowledge of the ocean’s balance.
Aboard the maxi-trimaran, Alexia Barrier will not only be taking on an immense sailing challenge. She will embody a vision of offshore racing as a space for passing on knowledge, for leadership and for commitment to the future of the ocean.
