All-female round the world bid

The Famous Project CIC, an all-women challenge for the Jules Verne Trophy nonstop around the world, record set off on Saturday 29 November.

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The team, which is skippered by Alexia Barrier and was set up together with British record-breaking yachtswoman Dee Caffari, is aiming to become the first all-female crew to complete a Jules Verne attempt. The nonstop, no-holds-barred around the world record time currently stands at 40 days and 23 hours.

Barrier and Caffari are racing with Annemieke Bes, Rebecca Gmuer, Deb Blair, Molly Lapointe, Xiquita Etchegoyen, and Stacey Jackson aboard Idec Sport, the same maxi-trimaran which set the current Jules Verne record in 2017, skippered by Francis Joyon.

At the point the team set off they believed they had an opportunity for a fast Atlantic descent, but were predominantly hoping for a safe exit from Biscay.

Meteorologist Christian Dumard is supporting the crew. The circulation of two high pressure systems over the North Atlantic created an opportunity for a starting window, though with the risk of high pressure slowing the team after.

“This window is very short and does not necessarily offer an absolute chance of achieving a ‘blistering’ time at the equator,” explained Dumard, “But it does offer favourable wind and sea conditions for downwind sailing and a relatively comfortable start for the crew.”

A tricky Doldrums and a brief wheel repair slowed the team, putting them behind record target at the Equator after 8 days, 3 hours, and 35 minutes of sailing (Joyon was 5 days, 18 hours, 59 minutes, though that was not a new North Atlantic record at the time).

However, the team continued racing in their bid to set a benchmark time for the first all female nonstop circumnavigation.

Barrier reported from the boat: “The North Atlantic was an invigorating warm-up.