Raised in Nice, Alexia Barrier set off this Sunday, November 1st in the 2026 Rhum Route race. On board IDEC SPORT – CIC, the sailor becomes the first woman to participate in this transatlantic race in the ULTIM category, reserved for the largest trimarans. A new milestone in a journey marked by the Vendée Globe, the record for an all-female crew round-the-world voyage, and a commitment to ocean protection.
The 2026 Rhum Route started this Sunday, November 1st at 1 p.m. Among the sailors competing, Alexia Barrier, 46 years old, set off with a particular challenge. The woman from Maralpin is the first woman in the history of the competition to start in the ULTIM category solo. A symbol of women’s place in offshore racing, but also a new sporting challenge for the sailor.
On board IDEC SPORT – CIC, a trimaran that has already won the Rhum Route three times, Alexia Barrier discovers new territory. The boat won in 2010 with Franck Cammas, in 2014 with Loïck Peyron and in 2018 with Francis Joyon. “Sailing alone on board IDEC SPORT – CIC means accepting to step out of my comfort zone at every moment. That’s exactly what motivates me. I’m here to learn, progress and write a new chapter in my story,” explains the sailor.
From Nice to the Rhum Route, a journey marked by the Vendée Globe
Raised in Nice, Alexia Barrier discovered sailing at the age of 3. It was in Antibes, on a small family sailboat, that her love for the sea developed. After studying STAPS, the French sailor embarked on offshore racing in 2005 with the Mini Transat. A first experience that opens the way to numerous Atlantic crossings and collaborations with several sailing figures, including Florence Arthaud, Dennis Conner and Samantha Davies.
In twenty years of career, the sailor has sailed over 200,000 nautical miles and crossed the Atlantic 18 times, five of them solo. In 2018, Alexia Barrier had already participated in the Rhum Route in the Imoca class on TSE – 4MyPlanet, finishing in 15th place.
Two years later, the sailor from the Côte d’Azur takes on the Vendée Globe. During the 2020-2021 edition, the sailor finished in 24th place in this solo, non-stop round-the-world voyage. In 2025, Alexia Barrier takes a new step with The Famous Project, an all-female crew that sets the round-the-world sailing record.
Her participation in the 2026 Rhum Route therefore marks a new milestone in her career. The first woman entered in ULTIM also aims to evolve representations in a discipline still largely male-dominated: “The symbolism is there, it’s undeniable, and it’s important for those who follow our adventures, to inspire young generations, particularly little girls, but I consider myself just as a sailor on an ULTIM, like Alexia who is trying to do her best and who is trying something new that she doesn’t know.”
The sailor accepts this particular role, while hoping that this situation will no longer be an exception in the future. “No, it doesn’t bother me, I take it seriously because, whether I like it or not, I have a role model status, so to speak. But I also think it’s a shame that we’re in 2026 and that I’m this ‘first woman’. My ambition is for this question to become commonplace and that a woman at the helm of an ULTIM is no longer an exception. It’s real progress that, I hope, will no longer be a topic on the next Rhum Route.”
Beyond the sporting challenge, Alexia Barrier, supported by the Alpes-Maritimes department for many years, also intends to use this crossing to continue her scientific commitment. Instruments designed to collect data on the oceans have thus been loaded on board IDEC SPORT – CIC. In collaboration with Ifremer researchers, the sailor plans in particular to deploy an Arvor profiler, capable of descending to 2,000 meters deep to measure water temperature, salinity and pressure.
A commitment that is part of the continuity of her previous voyages. Through her association 4myplanet, Alexia Barrier also conducts awareness-raising activities with young people. An educational program allows a million children to follow her adventures and discover the issues related to ocean preservation.
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