As the 2026 Rhum Route approaches, the Alpes-Maritimes Department announces its support for Alexia Barrier and The Famous Project. The navigator, who discovered sailing in Antibes, will carry the number 06 on IDEC SPORT CIC during her solo challenge between Saint-Malo and Guadeloupe.
The partnership between the Alpes-Maritimes department and Alexia Barrier is part of a story that began on the Côte d’Azur. In Antibes, aboard the family sailboat, the navigator discovered sailing before turning to major crossings and world tours.
The department had already supported Alexia Barrier during the 2018 Rhum Route, the 2019 Jacques Vabre Transat and the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe. A new support is now coming as the navigator prepares a new stage of her journey aboard an ULTIM.
« The Alpes-Maritimes are part of my story, confides Alexia Barrier. This is where I discovered the sea and where my first desires for the open ocean were born. Having the Department at my side for this new stage makes a lot of sense. Carrying the 06 on the boat means taking a piece of home with me on this adventure. I also want to bring something back from these sailings: meetings, discoveries and, I hope, the desire to dare for the young people of the territory. »
The number 06 will thus appear on IDEC SPORT CIC for the 2026 Rhum Route. The colors of the department will accompany the navigator between Saint-Malo and Pointe-à-Pitre.
Alexia Barrier aims for a first in ULTIM
The start of the 2026 Rhum Route is scheduled for November 1st in Saint-Malo. Alexia Barrier will take the helm of IDEC SPORT CIC, a 32-meter maxi-trimaran that has three victories in the race. The boat has been adapted to allow solo navigation to Guadeloupe. The objective set by the navigator is also to become the first woman to start the Rhum Route in ULTIM.
This deadline comes after the world tour completed with The Famous Project, as part of an all-female crew. The move to solo racing continues this desire to highlight the place of women in offshore racing.
The partnership also provides for actions throughout the Alpes-Maritimes territory. The objective is to make this sporting adventure a vehicle for transmission and inspiration for young people.
For Charles Ange Ginésy, president of the Alpes-Maritimes department: « From her first sails in Antibes to the greatest challenges of offshore racing, Alexia carries with her the spirit of our territory: the taste for challenge, self-improvement and this capacity to always go further. I want to salute her courage, her determination and her commitment. By taking the start of the Rhum Route at the helm of an ULTIM, Alexia is about to face an exceptional challenge and write a new chapter in the history of women’s offshore racing. Her journey is a true source of inspiration, particularly for young people, showing that boldness and perseverance allow us to push boundaries […] Through Alexia and The Famous Project, it is also a little piece of the Alpes-Maritimes that will take to the sea. We will be proud to see the 06 accompany Alexia to Guadeloupe and to experience this wonderful adventure alongside her. »
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