The Famous Project sets a new benchmark as the first all-female crew to sail non-stop around the world

This marks the first successful all-female bid in the history of the Jules Verne Trophy, following the 1998 attempt by Tracy Edwards’ Royal & Sun Alliance which ended in a dismasting. 

The voyage was a masterclass in resilience, as the crew battled significant mechanical failures and severe weather conditions aboard the aging trimaran IDEC Sport. Early steering and halyard issues were followed by a mid-ocean entanglement with fishing gear that left their starboard foil irreparably damaged. The team’s greatest challenge arrived in the final weeks when their mainsail tore in half during heavy winds.  

Despite Storm Ingrid’s 45-knot gusts shredding the remaining canvas and leaving them with little more than a wingmast and headsails for the final stretch, the crew refused to retire. They prioritised their goal of setting a historic precedent, proving that their determination was as durable as the vessel they sailed. 

The team’s resolve never wavered despite the damage and the scepticism of some critics. They chose to seek temporary shelter rather than retire, prioritising the completion of their mission over speed. 

As they arrived in Brest, the significance of their achievement was captured by co-skipper Dee Caffari MBE through the words of Theodore Roosevelt, honouring the “woman in the arena” with an adaptation of Roosevelt’s famous ‘Man in the Arena’ speech.   

She posted: “It is not the critic who counts; not the one who points out how the strong woman stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. 

“The credit belongs to the woman who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds… 

“Who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends herself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if she fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that her place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” 

The Famous Project was masterminded and skippered by former Vendée Globe sailor Alexia Barrier, together with British co-skipper Dee Caffari MBE, and an international crew of Annemieke Bes, Rebecca Gmür Hornell, Deborah Blair, Molly LaPointe, Támara Echegoyen and Stacey Jackson, sailing the former Idec Sport, the previous holder of the Jules Verne Trophy record at 40d 23h 30m  

Coincidentally, this record was broken the day before by Thomas Coville and his crew of Benjamin Schwartz, Frédéric Denis, Pierre Leboucher, Léonard Legrand, Guillaume Pirouelle on Sodebo Ultim, who sailed 28,315 miles non-stop at an average speed of 27.17 knots to win the trophy in a new fastest time of 40 days, 10 hours, and 45 minutes at sea – 12 hours and 44 minutes faster than Francis Joyon’s long-standing previous record, which had been held by IDEC Sport since 2017.