The Famous Project CIC: a crew of seven female sailors to circumnavigate the globe
by Agence TB Press 16 Sep 2025 16:40 BST
15 November 2025
Deborah Blair, Rebecca Gmuer, Dee Caffari, Alexia Barrier, Annemieke Bes, Molly Lapointe et Tamara Echegoyen © The Famous Project CIC
On this day Tuesday, September 16, at the Musée national de la Marine in Paris, Mediterranean sailor Alexia Barrier presented the six female sailors selected to accompany her this fall in an attempt to break the crewed, round the world, unassisted, and non-stop sailing record, the infamous Jules Verne Trophy.
For the occasion, the project partners represented by Daniel Baal, President of CIC, Patrice Lafargue, President of the IDEC Group, and Eric Pasquier, Vice-President of the Board of Directors of Sopra Steria, gathered around Alexia Barrier for the announcement of the international crew of the Famous Project CIC.
Six sailors have been selected, showing a wide range of experience, from the Olympics to The Ocean Race. The flags of no fewer than six nationalities will fly on IDEC SPORT: those of Britons Dee Caffari and Deborah Blair, Dutchwoman Annemieke Bes, Swiss-New Zealander Rebecca Gmuer, Spaniard Tamara "Xiquita" Echegoyen, American Molly Lapointe, and Frenchwoman Alexia Barrier, founder of the project. English will be the official language on board!
A long and meticulous crew selection process
The selection process was long and exciting for Alexia and Dee, who drew up a shortlist of 15 names, some of whom had sailed aboard the MOD 70 The Famous Project CIC. The selection process focused on versatility, seafaring skills, friendliness, and individual responsibility (eagerness to learn, kindness, and performance).
"It is rightly said that ocean racing is very French. Here too, The Famous Project CIC bucks the trend, revealing talents worthy of the best French sailors. These women come from all walks of life, from the Olympics to IMOCA, and have a very broad maritime culture, with very diverse but also very rich experiences both offshore and inshore. In addition to their own sailing skills, we are looking for a desire to learn and share all nautical experiences. This need to pass on knowledge is essential in our eyes. And all of this must be imbued with a constant spirit of kindness.," explains Alexia.
A multicultural international crew!
Alexia Barrier - French - Captain
Born in Paris on November 26, 1979, Alexia Barrier grew up in Nice where, at the age of 3, she discovered sailing aboard her parents' pleasure boat. She has sailed solo, double-handed, and with a crew... Mini 6.50, Figaro, Class40, IMOCA, Maxi-yachts, but also multihulls and with renowned skippers such as Florence Arthaud, Peter Holmberg, Andy Beadworth, and Dennis Conner. Alexia has sailed more than 200,000 nautical miles and crossed the Atlantic Ocean 18 times in races, including five times solo.
On November 8, 2020, Alexia Barrier set sail in the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe. She finished in 24th place after 111 days of solitude. She was named Knight of the Order of Maritime Merit in 2024.
Dee Caffari - Great Britain - Second
Dee Caffari was born on January 23, 1973, in Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. In 2006, she became the first woman to sail solo around the world, non-stop, and above all "backwards," in a west-east direction, against the prevailing winds and currents. In 2009, she completed the Vendée Globe, becoming the first woman to have completed a non-stop round-the-world voyage in both directions. She was appointed MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in 2007 for her outstanding service to sailing. In 2011, together with Anna Corbella, she completed the Barcelona World Race, becoming the only woman to have sailed around the world three times without stopping. She has also taken part in several editions of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Annemieke Bes - Netherlands
Annemieke Marileen Bes, born on March 16, 1978, in Groningen (Netherlands), is an accomplished sailor with a background in Olympic sailing and offshore racing. She has participated in three editions of the Olympic Games: Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, and London 2012. After her Olympic career, she turned to offshore racing and competed in the 2017-2018 Volvo Ocean Race with Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag. Since 2022, she has been sailing on IMOCA boats, notably aboard Holcim-PRB in the IMOCA Globe Series.
Rebecca Gmuer - Switzerland New Zealand
Rebecca Gmuer is a young Swiss-New Zealand sailor and professional rigger. Born on December 21, 1999. She has competed in major races such as the Sydney-Hobart, the Caribbean 600, and the Fastnet Race, and took part in the first all-female transatlantic crossing in 2024 aboard the MOD 70 Limosa. In 2025, she is sailing in The Ocean Race Europe aboard the IMOCA TEAM AMAALA.
Deborah Blair - Great Britain
Deborah, 23, is a member of the Weymouth Sailing Club, has a degree in computer science from the University of Southampton, and started sailing at the age of 8 on a Pico with Andrew Simpson Centres Portland. She is now hooked on keelboat racing.
Molly Lapointe - American-Italian - Boat Captain
She is the boat captain and works closely with Clément Surtel. Molly was part of the Maiden Factor team, with whom she won The Ocean Globe Race. It was Tracy Edwards who strongly recommended her to Dee Caffari and Alexia.
Tamara Xiquita Echegoyen - Spain
Tamara Echegoyen Domínguez is a Spanish sailor born on February 17, 1984, in Orense, Galicia. She is the 2012 Elliott 6m Olympic champion, 2013 match racing world champion, and two-time 49er FX world champion, in 2016 and 2020. In June 2024, she was named flag bearer for the Spanish delegation at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
An already legendary sailboat...
"IDEC SPORT, the large multihull built in 2006 for Groupama and Franck Cammas, based on a VPLP design, is the boat we wanted. Curiously enough, it is a simple, streamlined boat, very seaworthy, reliable, and naturally very fast, even in light winds. It sits very high in the water, which is very reassuring.
We took delivery of the boat in June 2023 and set about getting it back into shape, step by step, until its launch in June 2024. We took it one step at a time, changing everything that needed to be changed, including the running gear, pulleys, furling system, batteries, etc.," continues Alexia.
The prior purchase of a MOD 70 served as a platform to test the crew's ability to handle a large multihull and to encourage the best sailors to come and sail in this very demanding multihull challenge. But the boat we always wanted for the round-the-world race was IDEC SPORT. "I met Patrice Lafargue, the boss of IDEC Group, who offered to lend me the boat after the Route du Rhum 2022. For the record, my meeting with Patrice took place on Rue Pierre1er in Paris, a nod to Florence Arthaud. "
The seven sailors spent the summer preparing for the immense challenge that awaits them. The boat is currently undergoing a final, comprehensive technical inspection in the shipyard before a new series of training sessions. Standby mode will begin as planned in mid-November, awaiting the best possible weather window to set off on the round-the-world voyage.
Quotes:
Alexia Barrier: "Since completing the Vendée Globe in 2020, I have been constantly wondering not only about the nature of my next sailing project, but above all about how to give meaning to this new adventure: Before setting off on the 2020 Vendée Globe, I knew that I wanted to sail around the world in a multihull. So I knew what my next sporting project would be. And I wanted to give meaning to this new adventure. When I took a closer look at the number of women who had taken part in the Jules Verne Trophy over the past 30 years, it became clear to me that I was going to put together an all-female crew, aiming for the ultimate challenge: a round-the-world navigation, without assistance or stopovers. All that remained was to seek out and convince talented women who were motivated by such a challenge. To my surprise, this was not a problem and applications flooded in."
Dee Caffari: "I've known Alexia for a long time, but I've gotten to know her better since she approached me about this project. We were immediately on the same page. We connect. She's offering us an incredible opportunity! A huge challenge! This challenge is more than a sporting event. It's a chance to make history. We found the right people, and for this challenge, their personalities are more important than their talents. They are asked to broaden their usual fields of investigation. Everyone must be able to do everything on board. This boat is legendary, and that imposes certain responsibilities on us in terms of how we are going to sail it. We never stop learning on board. It's exciting."
Committed partners
The project is supported by several French companies, including CIC, a bank operating in 36 countries; IDEC Sport, a player in real estate and energy transition; Sopra Steria, a major player in technology in Europe; and the watch brand Richard Mille. The commitment of these organizations is part of a shared desire to promote diversity, teamwork, performance, and sustainability.
Why are they getting involved?
For CIC, title partner of The Famous Project CIC: "To shake things up and tell lots of young girls to never hesitate to follow their dreams. "
For the IDEC Group: "IDEC Group is proud to support the boldness and solidarity of an all-female crew who, aboard the legendary IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran, holder of the Jules Verne Trophy, are embarking on an extraordinary human adventure."
For Sopra Steria, technology partner: "Technology takes on its full meaning when it supports progress and collective performance. We are proud to support this collective challenge, which combines sporting excellence and human achievement, innovation and social commitment."
For Richard Mille: "Daring, challenging oneself and taking risks: The Famous Project CIC is writing a new page in women's history, driven by passion and Alexia Barrier's determination to surpass herself, whatever the rules of the game."