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Five days to truly switch to solo mode
Having set sail from Brest on Monday, August 31, Alexia Barrier returned on Friday, September 4, after completing the required course to qualify for the Route du Rhum %E2euros%93 Destination Guadeloupe. Having covered approximately 1,200 miles, sailed as far north as the coast of Ireland, and faced winds reaching 35 knots, the sailor has done more than just add a validation to her registration file.
Above all, this voyage marked his first real solo challenge with IDEC SPORT-CIC .
The distinction is important. Since the maxi-trimaran was relaunched, Alexia Barrier had undertaken numerous technical sorties and ?pseudo-solo? voyages, notably with Loïck Peyron as well as Jean-Baptiste and Arthur Le Vaillant. This time, there?s no one else on board to take over, help with a maneuver, or step in if a problem arises.
After sailing the same boat around the world with the crew of The Famous Project during the 2025?2026 Jules Verne Trophy, the sailor must now learn to handle this 32-meter vessel on her own.
"I loved this cruise! It was just as amazing as the boat itself," she recounted upon her return to Brest.
However, the enthusiasm does not hide the difficulty of the task.
On an ULTIM, fatigue quickly becomes a performance factor
In particular, the qualifying race allowed Alexia Barrier to gauge the physical demands of a solo race on a maxi-trimaran. On this type of boat, high speeds leave less time to anticipate, prepare for, and then execute a maneuver. And everything that is normally shared among several crew members during a crewed voyage now falls on a single person.
" "I realized just how exhausting it is, especially when you spend most of your time on deck." ", the sailor admits.
This observation takes on special significance after the Jules Verne Trophy. During this round-the-world voyage, IDEC SPORT was crewed entirely by women. On the Route du Rhum, Alexia Barrier will have to handle the trimaran?s navigation, course decisions, maneuvers, monitoring of the boat, and her own recovery all on her own.
The last night of her qualification gave her a real-world glimpse of this sequence of events. As she approached Brest, she explained that she hadn't slept in order to remain constantly vigilant in an area with heavy maritime traffic.
Managing sleep will therefore be one of the key challenges of the transatlantic race. On a multihull capable of high speeds, fatigue is not merely a matter of comfort. It can affect mental alertness, decision-making, and the ability to anticipate maneuvers.
And the boat doesn't always give you much time to recover.
" As soon as there's even a little wind, these machines pick up speed tremendously. I had almost forgotten just how intense it could be, even though I've already sailed around the world. ", says Alexia Barrier.
Close calls and strategic moves in a qualifying round that was anything but a walk in the park
The conditions they encountered also added substance to this first trial run. According to the team, Alexia Barrier had to navigate a close-hauled tack and perform a series of maneuvers.
Christian Dumard, who served as her route planner and will also fill that role during the Route du Rhum, describes a female sailor who has remained " "calm, clear-headed, and thoughtful, despite her fatigue."
The route also served a regulatory purpose. According to Alexia Barrier?s team, the qualification required sailing 1,200 miles and navigating for at least twelve hours in winds exceeding 20 knots. The sailor reported encountering gusts of up to 35 knots.
But the value of these five days goes beyond simply meeting these criteria.
Sailing close-hauled into the wind on a large multihull presents very different challenges than a long downwind run. The forces on the deck increase, the motion becomes more uncomfortable, and maneuvers require more energy. For a sailor who is still learning to sail solo on this boat, this variety of conditions provides a particularly practical starting point.
Alexia Barrier summarizes her discovery of IDEC SPORT-CIC on his own, in a rather telling way: "The boat is sturdy; it demands intensity and dedication, but it's gentle?it doesn't pull any tricks on you."
In other words, trust is beginning to take hold. Now it needs to be strengthened.
Learn to slow down before you learn to go fast
On an ULTIM, making the most of the boat?s potential does not necessarily mean constantly sailing at its maximum speed. When sailing solo, the key question becomes the level of commitment the skipper can accept without compromising his safety, sleep, or the boat?s integrity.
That is exactly what Alexia Barrier still has to learn.
IDEC SPORT-CIC is a boat she?s already familiar with, having sailed around the world on it. But sailing a boat as part of a crew and sailing it alone are two different things. There?s no division of labor. Once a maneuver is started, it must be completed by the same person, while the boat continues to move at high speed.
The qualifying round therefore served to establish an initial level of confidence: how far to push the trimaran, when to ease off, how to organize movements on deck, and, above all, when to temporarily step away from the helm to rest.
This work will be crucial in the weeks leading up to departure.
" After this solo run, I can't wait to go over it with the team. It's incredibly exciting. We don't have much time left to prepare, but I've already identified the areas we need to work on, and I'm fully focused on the task ahead." ," explains the sailor.
On land, the team continues to sail with her
The solo sailor on the ULTIM does not diminish the role of the shore team. During the five days of qualifying, The Famous Project tracked the boat's progress and collected various data.
According to the team, the system set up with Sopra Steria focuses in particular on weather conditions, the trimaran?s performance, progress along the course, and certain indicators related to the sailor?s nutrition and recovery.
The goal is to better understand what happens on board as fatigue sets in and to compare the skipper's sensations with the recorded data.
Routing is another key component of the operation. Christian Dumard, who served as Alexia Barrier?s route planner during her last round-the-world voyage, will also be accompanying her during the Route du Rhum. The route planner analyzes weather data and various possible routes from shore to advise the skipper. The final decision and the navigation of the boat obviously remain on board.
This relationship will be all the more important given that the Route du Rhum is about more than just sailing an ULTIM as fast as possible. You have to choose a course suited to the weather, take care of the boat, and stay clear-headed enough to make the right decisions throughout the entire crossing.
The first woman in ULTIM, but her primary goal is athletic
The race starting on November 1 will also be historic. Alexia Barrier is set to become the first woman to compete in the ULTIM category in the history of the Route du Rhum.
A symbol she embraces without making it her sole goal.
"I'm not just doing this for the sake of it. I'm a competitor. I know my own abilities and those of my boat. I fully intend to tap into its full potential to achieve the best possible result.", she says.
However, any comparison with other ULTIMs must take into account the different generations of boats. IDEC SPORT-CIC is the former Groupama 3 , launched in 2006 before undergoing major modifications over the course of its career. It has an impressive track record, but is based on a different design from the class?s most recent flying trimarans.
The challenge for Alexia Barrier will therefore be as much about getting the most out of her own boat as it is about competing against a fleet with a wide range of technologies.
His sailing experience is a real asset in this regard. His round-the-world voyage with The Famous Project gave him in-depth knowledge of the trimaran, its behavior, and its limitations. But the qualification serves as a reminder that this experience must now be translated into a different language: that of solo sailing.
Less than two months to seal the deal
Earning this qualification closes one administrative door and opens a much more challenging one.
Alexia Barrier and her team now have feedback from five days actually spent alone at sea. The coming weeks will be devoted to analyzing this voyage, continuing training, and addressing the issues identified on board. Tests with a new mainsail are notably included in the team?s announced schedule.
The schedule is about to pick up pace. Competitors are expected to arrive in Saint-Malo starting October 18, ahead of the start of the Route du Rhum %E2euros%93 Destination Guadeloupe on November 1.
For Alexia Barrier, the challenge is therefore no longer to prove that she can sail 1,200 miles solo on IDEC SPORT-CIC . She just did that.
The challenge now is to be able to replicate this performance over an entire transatlantic crossing, while managing fatigue, weather conditions, maneuvers, and the potential of a maxi-trimaran?a boat that offers little leeway for delays in anticipating conditions. Qualifying secured her spot at the starting line. Above all, it gave the sailor a first glimpse of what truly lies ahead between Saint-Malo and Guadeloupe.
