On Monday 19 October, at midday, Alexia Barrier sailed into the Bassin Vauban at the helm of the Ultim IDEC SPORT-CIC, alongside the seven other Ultims entered in the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe. The maxi-trimaran, a three-time winner of the legendary race, is now moored at the Quai de la Bourse until the start. A look back in pictures at this delivery trip, the final step before the big day on 1 November 2026.
An arrival to applause
The Saint-Malo crowd gave the sailor a warm welcome as soon as she entered the basin. First exchanges, first emotions: after a busy summer and an autumn devoted to training, Alexia Barrier and The Famous Project team are settling in for the thirteen days of the race village.
A maxi-trimaran ready for the start
Taking advantage of mild weather in September, Alexia Barrier went out to sea time and again to rehearse every manoeuvre single-handed. Sailing alongside Loïck Peyron, and then Jean-Baptiste Le Vaillant, helped her refine her moves and sequences. For Thierry Duprey du Vorsent, sports director of The Famous Project, the boat is ready to race. He highlights the quality of its steering system, a legacy of the original design wanted by Franck Cammas, who won the race on board in 2010. During the village, the technical team is focusing on the final adjustments. The sailor admits it herself: handling the boat no longer worries her. Above all, she will have to channel the emotion of the start.
© Robin Christol / The Famous Project
Fully immersed in Saint-Malo
While many skippers head home for a few days before the start, Alexia Barrier has chosen to stay in Saint-Malo until race day. Her schedule alternates between meeting the public and partners, interviews and signing sessions for her book À jamais les premières, published on 14 October. Every day, she devotes one hour to physical training and one hour to weather analysis with Christian Dumard’s team, while keeping time for herself to stay focused.
In the third episode of The Famous Project web series, Alexia Barrier reveals her two worlds: skipper of a 31.5-metre giant at sea, business leader on land.
See you on 1 November
On 1 November at 1:02 pm, Alexia Barrier will set off from Saint-Malo on her second Route du Rhum, alone at the helm of the Ultim IDEC SPORT-CIC, for a 3,542-mile race to Pointe-à-Pitre. She will be the first woman to compete in the Ultim class. The boat is ready and her preparation has been rigorous: everything is in place for her to write a new chapter in the history of this maxi-trimaran.
