Route du Rhum 2026: Alexia Barrier trapped in a windless zone before the finish

As Alexia Barrier approaches Guadeloupe, Alexia Barrier still has to deal with unfavorable weather. For the past 24 hours, the maxi-trimaran IDEC SPORT-CIC has been evolving in an area where wind is scarce. The navigator from Antibes is moving at low speed and must remain vigilant to maintain control of her boat. However, the gradual return of the trade winds is expected during the day, with an arrival hoped for Wednesday late afternoon.

After the passage of the tropical depression on Sunday, sailing conditions deteriorated significantly for Alexia Barrier. The boat is now south of an anticyclonic ridge, between two depressive systems. Result: wind is lacking and the trimaran’s speed remains particularly low.

In these circumstances, the priority is no longer to seek performance, but to prevent the boat from completely losing momentum. With an average of approximately 1.2 knots of wind, the navigator must make multiple adjustments to prevent IDEC SPORT-CIC from coming to a standstill or spinning.

“The strategy is to make sure it doesn’t do a 360, spin on itself, keep some control with 1.2 knots of average wind”, explains Alexia Barrier. A delicate situation that requires constant attention at 250 nautical miles from the finish despite the impression of calm on board.

The return of the trade winds expected before arrival

This absence of wind also complicates recovery. The sails continue to flap and sleep remains difficult to find. The fatigue accumulated during the crossing is still felt, even when the boat seems to be moving slowly.

“Sleep cannot be recovered contrary to what one might think when seeing that there is no wind”, emphasizes the skipper, who describes these phases as particularly grueling. Monitoring the maritime environment also remains necessary. At low speed, the trimaran is more exposed to the movements of ships passing nearby. Alexia Barrier can rely on her software to spot cargo ships from a distance and anticipate potential risk situations.

On the side of the weather station on shore, Louis Dumard is however more encouraging. According to the router, the trade winds should gradually return during the day and “should allow her to regain speed and reach the Guadeloupe coast tomorrow late afternoon.“ This development could allow IDEC SPORT-CIC to regain speed and resume its progress towards the Guadeloupe archipelago.

Alexia Barrier’s arrival on the Guadeloupe coast is thus expected Wednesday late afternoon. It will then remain to sail around Guadeloupe before potentially arriving during the night of Wednesday to Thursday depending on conditions that seem to be quite unstable. Until then, the navigator must still cross this zone of light wind and keep her boat moving.