en 
News
Monday December 29, 2025 - More than a month at sea
On Saturday November 28, the eight women of The Famous Project CIC set off on an unprecedented, all-female round-the-world trip in a maxi multihull. This morning, they completed their 30th day of adventurous racing and began their crossing of the Pacific Ocean, a sea of contrasts. They can now congratulate themselves on a remarkable crossing of the Indian Ocean, ahead of a front that never overtook them. Better still, by skillfully and continuously gliding under the vast high pressure system centered over Tasmania this weekend, they gained more than two days on their anticipated schedule!
Last night, they crossed the antimeridian, the imaginary semicircle that passes through the two poles opposite the Greenwich Meridian. Just east of the antimeridian, it is twelve hours later than on the Greenwich Meridian; just west, it is twelve hours earlier. They thus experienced the same night of December 28 twice.
While a very natural physical fatigue is insidiously setting in on board, the intensity and commitment Alexia Barrier, Dee Caffari, Annemieke Bes, Rebecca Gmür Hornell, Deborah Blair, Molly LaPointe, Támara Echegoyen, and Stacey Jackson bring to their sailing continues to increase with every mile they cover at high speed. Careful planning of their course, timing of weather systems, precision in their adjustments and anticipation, and, as always, the warm solidarity between crew members, are reflected on the scoreboard by impressive progress of more than 650 miles per 24 hours. This has fueled the ambitions of the crew, and the eight women have now set their sights on passing Point Nemo, the point in the Pacific Ocean furthest from any landmark on earth, on January 1, followed by a historic crossing of the famous Cape Horn on January 5.
Alexia Barrier:
"We have clearly improved in the way we sail and in our understanding of the boat. Our maneuvers are more fluid, and we are becoming more confident at the helm at high speeds. The rest of the journey will not be easy, but it should be smoother, with more accurate adjustments and better anticipation. Already, I think that in the Indian Ocean, our average speeds have increased, as has our consistency and our ability to maintain speeds over time. That's exactly what we are looking for on a round-the-world trip.
So it feels a bit like a second start. Same route, same boat, but with a more precise, more confident crew. The Indian Ocean was satisfying. It was intense, it was fast, it was demanding. Frankly, we dared to maintain high speeds over time, without putting ourselves in danger, which is important. The boat spoke, and we learned to listen to it.
This is valuable for the rest of the race. We are approaching the Pacific with a great deal of humility, but also with genuine curiosity. It is an ocean of contrasts. We know it can be very calm or very rough, so we are entering it focused, with the desire to do well rather than the desire to do too much.
Physically and mentally, I feel good, tired of course. I sometimes have a little trouble sleeping and eating, but I feel really comfortable keeping watch on the boat and looking after the others, so we're sticking to the essentials.
The Pacific gives you a unique feeling of being far away from everything. It's really special, with immense nature that puts us in our place. I really feel like a simple guest, tolerated here for a short time.
The sailing will be intense in the coming days. The goal in mind is to try to be at Point Nemo on January 1. So, for now, we're thinking more about the trajectory and adjustments than celebrating New Year's Day."