Alexia Barrier on the Route du Rhum 2026: “I just performed the longest maneuver in the universe”

On the fourth day of the 2026 Rhum Route, Alexia Barrier continues her crossing in changing weather conditions. The navigator from Antibes notably spent two hours hoisting a large sail, the J-0, before replacing it with a smaller sail. While several competitors experienced breakdowns and capsizes, the navigator chose to follow her own trajectory and finds herself 5th in the standings.

Two hours to hoist her J-0

Alexia Barrier’s latest maneuver required a lot of patience. To gain speed in a light wind area, the navigator decided to deploy the J-0, the largest sail on her boat. But difficulties with the sheets considerably lengthened the operation. « I just performed the longest maneuver in the universe. Even the Egyptians took less time to build the pyramids », she recounts with humor.

The navigator notably made mistakes three times while rethreading the long sheets of this sail, each of which is approximately three times the length of the boat. The maneuver, initially planned for one hour, ultimately required two.

Despite this laborious operation, Alexia Barrier managed to unfurl her sail and sail all night with the J-0. A satisfaction for the Antibes-based navigator on IDEC Sport – CIC, who recalled not being accustomed to performing this type of manipulation at the front of the boat during her previous round-the-world navigation. « So I’m proud of myself », she confides with a hint of a smile in her voice.

Wednesday morning, the navigator finally rolled up this large sail to install the J-1, a smaller model. A change made before tackling a new sailing sequence, with conditions that promise to be delicate.

An independent trajectory to avoid the pitfalls of other competitors

This fourth day of racing is also marked by a series of incidents on the 2026 Rhum Route. Several competitors in the ULTIM category capsized, including one of the favorites, Armel Le Cléac’h on Banque Populaire, or Charles Caudrelier, the defending champion, who had to withdraw due to serious damage just like Matthieu Perraut on Elvest, Anthony Marchand and Francis Joyon in other categories. In total, ten skippers have already withdrawn from this edition in just four days of competition.

In this context, Alexia Barrier chose not to systematically follow the trajectories of her competitors. « With the various breakdowns of competitors on this Rhum Route, a complicated Rhum Route, I decided to follow my own trajectory, chart my course and not follow the path of the weather fronts », adds the Maralp native.

The navigator is currently heading northwest of the Azores at a speed of 27 knots while skirting the island of Flores. The objective is to avoid an area of light winds linked to a trough (an axis of low pressure associated with rain and storms with a reputation for being very unstable, Editor’s note) and a decomposed front located to the west. The Côte d’Azur native is also seeking to capture the winds from a small depression forming in order to have better conditions to continue her progress.

The strategy then calls for another maneuver in the evening, before the passage of a front located to the west the following day. A recent adjustment to her trajectory has already allowed her to get closer to the wind and gain speed, with progress toward the south.

As weather conditions continue to dictate the pace of the race, Alexia Barrier intends to maintain her independence in her navigation choices. In the standings she has benefited from the withdrawals ahead of her to now stand in 5th place about a hundred nautical miles from Guirec Soudée (4th) who is taking a more westerly route.