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Setting sail from Marseille, rounding Cape Horn, Cape Leeuwin, and the Cape of Good Hope from east to west, then returning to the Mediterranean three years later: this is the route envisioned by Sandrine Levet with Odysea. Aboard Caramel , a standard Grand Soleil 43, the sailor will combine this voyage with a scientific program on marine biodiversity and several athletic challenges.
From the Vendée Globe to a personal project
The idea didn't come from a plan to pursue a career as a sailor. When Sandrine bought Caramel In 2022, her goal is much more immediate: to prepare for a circumnavigation of the Atlantic. She will set sail in 2023, complete her solo crossings, and then spend several months in the Caribbean, where various crew members will join her.
This first major leg of the voyage changes her perspective. The sailor is racking up miles, but more importantly, she?s gaining the experience needed to look further ahead. The prospects for a much more ambitious project are beginning to take shape.
The turning point came just before the Vendée Globe. As she followed some of the competitors? passage around Cape Horn, her desire became much more concrete: she, too, wanted to sail those seas.
But Sandrine doesn't come from an offshore racing background. Before becoming a sailor, she made a name for herself in competitive rock climbing. A 2003 world champion, five-time overall winner of the Bouldering World Cup, and with 23 World Cup victories to her credit, she went on to pursue big-wall climbing. At the same time, she earned a Ph.D. in cell biology and worked for fifteen years in academic and industrial research.
Odysea was born at the intersection of these three paths.
A round-the-world trip the hard way
The trip began in Marseille on September 19, 2026. The return is scheduled for the same location in April 2029.
In between, Sandrine must cross three oceans and round the three major capes: Cape Horn, Cape Leeuwin, and the Cape of Good Hope. But she?ll do it from east to west. This is the opposite direction of the major round-the-world races, which take advantage of the prevailing westerly winds at southern latitudes.
After the Canary Islands and Cape Verde, Caramel will cross the Atlantic to Brazil before heading south to Ushuaia. The voyage around Cape Horn and through the Patagonian channels is scheduled for January 2027. The sailboat will then sail up the Chilean coast before crossing the Pacific to Easter Island and Polynesia, and then continuing on to New Zealand and Tasmania.
In 2028, the route will take us through Australia, Cape Leeuwin, the Indian Ocean, the Seychelles, Madagascar, and Réunion. After South Africa and the Cape of Good Hope, the journey back up the Atlantic should bring us back to Caramel in the Mediterranean in the spring of 2029.
The project involves a series of major stages, with the organizational arrangements varying depending on the areas traversed. Sandrine will be able to sail alone on certain sections and will be accompanied on others, particularly when rounding capes or during the most challenging coastal sailings. Therefore, this is not a voyage that is claimed to be entirely solo. Cape Horn and the Patagonian channels are among the areas requiring special preparation.
A production Grand Soleil rather than a racing boat
Another unique feature of Odysea is the boat. Caramel It is neither a prototype nor a former offshore racing boat. It is a Grand Soleil 43 built in 2010, configured with three double cabins and two bathrooms. Its 1 er The owner, Yannick Richomme, Yoan's father, has completed several transatlantic crossings and two circumnavigations of the Mediterranean aboard the boat.
This Grand Soleil does, however, have a sporty configuration, notably featuring a carbon mast and DFi Incidence sails. Most importantly, it isn't setting out into the unknown without a track record: the boat has already completed four Atlantic crossings.
Sandrine also knows the boat beyond what?s on the spec sheet. Since purchasing it, she estimates she has logged between 15,000 and 18,000 miles on board herself, including her circumnavigation of the Atlantic, voyages in the Mediterranean, and a trip to Greece.
It is, therefore, a highly reliable boat that has been maintained to the highest standards.
Collecting DNA left behind in the ocean
Odysea also includes a research program in environmental genomics. Professor David Mouillot of the MARBEC laboratory at the University of Montpellier serves as the scientific director, with additional expertise provided by CEFE.
The goal is to study the biodiversity of bony and cartilaginous fish, particularly sharks and rays, in several key areas along the route: headlands, migration corridors, and areas subject to significant human pressure.
The method is based on environmental DNA, or eDNA. Fish and other organisms constantly leave biological traces in the water: cells, mucus, scales, or tissue fragments. It is now possible to extract DNA from these traces and identify species without having to observe or capture them.
On board, the protocol calls for treating 30 liters of seawater using a peristaltic pump. Filtration will be carried out over a transect of approximately two kilometers, with samples taken one meter below the surface. GPS coordinates and associated metadata will be recorded.
The filter is then stored in a buffer that preserves the DNA for up to two months at room temperature. The capsules can then be shipped from stopover locations for extraction, amplification, and sequencing.
The ship thus occasionally serves as a scientific platform. This comes with an additional challenge: implementing a protocol that is rigorous enough, even though the sampling takes place during a round-the-world voyage.
And at the end of the mooring lines, find your balance again
The next step was to incorporate rock climbing. Sandrine Levet did not try to artificially graft it onto the project: certain stops were chosen precisely because they provide access to sites she has long wanted to explore.
Cochamó, in Chile, is part of the program, as are the spectacular Totem Pole in Tasmania and the great cliffs of Tsaranoro in Madagascar. This latter factor also explains why Odysea takes nearly three years to complete, whereas a standard round-the-world sailing trip could be much faster.
The goal, therefore, is not about the stopwatch. It lies in the sequence of events: crossing oceans, sometimes solo; sailing up routes that often run against the prevailing winds; rounding the three capes; collecting scientific samples; and occasionally leaving the boat?s deck to climb a cliff face.
A project that?s hard to pigeonhole. That?s precisely what makes it so consistent with Sandrine?s career path.
