The Famous Project CIC all-women crew face final hurdle on home run
by The Famous Project CIC 24 Jan 06:27 PST
24 January 2026
The eight women in The Famous Project CIC team are on day 56 of their race and are nearing the conclusion of a non-stop round-the-world sailing voyage, navigating a series of gear failures and setbacks, including the loss of the use of their mainsail. As they face one last major hurdle in storm Ingrid, they are poised to reach the finish in Brest late on Monday.
What they aim to achieve is a remarkable feat that no all-female crew has accomplished to date: a non-stop circumnavigation of the globe on a multihull. Alexia Barrier from France conceived and spearheaded the project, supported by a crew of experienced and talented international sailors, including Britain's Dee Caffari—on the verge of completing her seventh circumnavigation—alongside Deborah Blair, Annemieke Bes from the Netherlands, Rebecca Gmür Hornell, the Swiss New Zealander, Spain's Tamara Echegoyen, Stacey Jackson from Australia, and Itaian American sailor Molly LaPoint.
With approximately 800 miles remaining and storm Ingrid unleashing the worst of winter Atlantic conditions upon them, the crew remains focused on securing their multihull trimaran IDEC SPORT as they prepare to enter the turbulent Bay of Biscay and then on to the tip of Brittany. They understand that the severe weather is not yet over, as a second deep low-pressure system is forecast to hit the French coast tomorrow morning.
"If it were easy, everyone would do it!" exclaimed British sailor Dee Caffari in response to the initial tear in the mainsail on board their Maxi Trimaran IDEC SPORT, which takes on a grim significance with every mile covered by the female crew of The Famous Project CIC. The mainsail, first torn at the second reef, is now unfit for use. The starboard foil has ceased functioning since they began their return up the South Atlantic, and both autopilots have also given up.
Despite facing numerous setbacks, the all-female crew remains optimistic and determined to reach the finish line off Ushant, arriving in Brest, as expected, late on Monday.
Alexia Barrier: "Last night went well, and we're being tossed about a bit by the waves as we do not have the ideal sail configuration, but it's manageable. As day breaks, we're securing the lazy bag, the boom, and the mainsail—which is quite heavy—to ensure that if the lazy bag fails under the weight of the mainsail, the boom doesn't fall on the deck or, worse, on someone's head. So, we're doing all we can on board and making steady progress with the small J-3 before the wind picks up later today."
Follow The Famous Project CIC's progress on the tracker: thefamousproject.io