The Famous Project Women’s Circumnavigation Record Attempt
While we’d rather be sailing, when we’re not, we love tracking boats that are racing around the world. One tracker we’re watching is that of the all-female crew currently looking to break the Jules Verne Trophy for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe, and in doing so become the first all-women team to do so. The current record of 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds was set in 2017 by Francis Joyon aboard the same boat, the IDEC SPORT maxi trimaran.
Eight women from around the globe are aboard the 100-ft (LOA) trimaran representing the The Famous Project CIC: skipper Alexia Barrier, Dee Caffari, Annemieke Bes, Rebecca Gmür Hornell, Deborah Blair, Molly LaPointe, Támara Echegoyen and Stacey Jackson.
The crew crossed the official start line (between the Créac’h lighthouse off Ouessant and Lizard Point, UK) at 01:40 UTC on November 29, 2025. From there, they’ve sailed past the Cape of Good Hope and then will turn south, taking Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn to port before heading back up the North Atlantic for the finish.
The team is currently tackling the Indian Ocean, heading toward their next big milestone, Cape Leeuwin, the most southerly, western point of mainland Australia, where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean. They’ll be crossing to the south of West Coast racers sailing in the Sydney Hobart race. Then it’s on to Cape Horn.
To date, no all-female crew has ever made it around the world nonstop and unassisted. The crew of IDEC is looking to rectify that in addition to setting a female nonstop, unassisted circumnavigation reference time.
Skipper Alexia Barrier stated, “The Famous Project CIC is bringing together the best female professional sailors from around the world, with the boat that holds the current record. We’re aiming to make history and disrupt this all-male legacy.”
You can follow them on the tracker here.