Famous females

Crew members include Co-skipper, Dee Caffari; Annemieke Bes; Rebecca Bex Gmuer; Deborah Blair; Boat Captain, Molly Lapointe; Tamara Xiquita Echegoyen and Stacey Jackson.

The Famous Project was launched in 2022, with the team initially training in a MOD70 before taking delivery of Idec Sport. They have been working with round the world yachtsman Brian Thomspon, with fellow British ocean sailor Jonny Malbon the Team Director.

“This pioneering project is designed to jump start opportunities for women in sailing, as well as change perceptions of what female athletes are capable of,” said Barrier.

“The Famous Project CIC has brought 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.”

Author, advocate and pioneering professional sailor, Barrier’s career in competitive sailing began in her teenage years, where she quickly demonstrated her talent in local and regional regattas. Growing up by the ocean in the South of France, she set her sights on solo ocean racing – a discipline that is renowned for demanding not only exceptional sailing skills but also mental and physical endurance.

She has sailed the equivalent of 10 laps around the planet, completing the iconic solo, non-stop Vendée Globe in 2021 and has raced across the Atlantic no less than 18 times.

Among many accolades, her most significant achievement came with the participation in the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe. Known as the “Everest of the Seas”, this solo, nonstop, and unassisted round-the-world race is one of the most challenging sailing events.

Competing aboard her yacht, TSE – 4myplanet, Barrier navigated the globe’s most treacherous waters, enduring extreme conditions and overcoming numerous obstacles. After 111 days at sea, she successfully completed the race, becoming one of the few women in history to do so.v

“Our ambition is to not only break the record of becoming the first all-female team to race around the world non-stop and unassisted but to also attempt to conquer the Jules Verne Trophy, at the very least establishing an all-female reference time which has never been done before,”  Barrier explained.

“As sport around the world becomes more inclusive, we believe sailing should be no different.

“The Famous Project CIC is about more than just breaking records; it’s about changing perceptions of what women can achieve in the highest levels of competitive sailing.

“By tackling one of the toughest challenges in the sport, we aim to inspire future generations to pursue their dreams, both on the water and beyond.

The Jules Verne Trophy has an official start/finish line between the Créac’h lighthouse on the island of Ouessant, France, and Lizard Point lighthouse on the southernmost tip of England.

Crews must sail around the world, passing Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin, and Cape Horn to port, before crossing the same line in the opposite direction to finish – a ‘great circle’ distance of 21,760 nautical miles (40,300km).

The Jules Verne has no set start time, so teams may leave whenever their weather routers believe a suitable window of opportunity for a fast Atlantic descent is opening up.

The previous all-female attempt on the Jules Verne, Tracy Edwards’ Royal & Sun Alliance in 1998, ended when the 92-foot catamaran dismasted in the South Pacific 2,000 miles off the coast of Chile.

Idec Sport, the trimaran the Famous Project CIC crew are sailing, is a non-foiling design that was originally launched in 2006 as Groupama 3, and won the Jules Verne Trophy in 2010, 2012, and again in 2017. It also won the last three editions of the Route du Rhum, and many other events.

Follow The Famous Project CIC via thefamousproject.io

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