Skipper Alexia Barrier is leading an all-female crew aboard the 32-meter Ultim-class trimaran Idec Sport in an attempt to break the global record for the fastest non-stop sailing circumnavigation: the Jules Verne Trophy time of 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes, and 30 seconds. This is the record held by Francis Joyon since 2017, one of the most challenging records in sailing history. The attempt is undertaken under the name Idec Sport as well.

This trimaran is the same vessel used by Joyon for his record-breaking run but has been upgraded with foils, allowing it to"fly" over the ocean at least partially. Accompanying Barrier is an experienced all-female crew: Dee Caffari, Annemieke Bes, Rebecca Gmür Hornell, Deborah Blair, Molly LaPointe, Támara Echegoyen, and Stacey Jackson. These sailors bring a wealth of ocean racing experience and Olympic-level sailing credentials.

The start was not rapid, with significant upwind sailing into headwinds after departing from Brest. However, Idec Sport is now making the most of favorable conditions and increasing its average speed. After three days at sea, Alexia Barrier's team is already approaching the Canary Islands leg.

The History of the Jules Verne Trophy

The concept originates from the London gentleman Phileas Fogg, the protagonist of Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days, who envisioned circumnavigating the globe using any available means in the shortest possible time to win a £20,000 wager.

One wonders what that gentleman residing on Savile Row would think upon hearing that today, one can sail around the world in just 40 days using only sails. He, after all, employed everything from trains to steamships just to return to the Reform Club on time and win his bet. And who knows what he would say upon learning that a supposedly bright red, Ferrari-branded, fully foiling monohull, skippered by Captain Giovanni Soldini, is about to attempt this challenge.

Humankind has always had a special relationship with time: attempting to control it, organize it, and, not content with that, also trying to challenge it. In many sports, the stopwatch—that relentlessly ticking clock—is one of the primary factors.

Sailing is no exception. With its evolving technology and professionalism, it eventually created a new category within the sailing world: record-breaking.

Since the 1990s, the ultimate peak in sailing records has borne only one name: the Jules Verne Trophy.

The Origins of the Jules Verne Trophy Sailing Challenge

In 1990, on the initiative of French sailor Olivier de Kersauson, the association"Tour du Monde en 80 Jours" (Around the World in 80 Days) was formed, acting as a sort of founding committee for the challenge. Its members included Peter Blake, Robin Knox-Johnston, Titouan Lamazou, Bruno Peyron, and other ocean sailing pioneers of the time.

The goal was to launch the most extreme trophy in world sailing: to sail around the globe by any conceivable means, but with one condition—it must be done under sail.

In 1992, the challenge was officially presented to the Yacht Club de France, with the first attempts beginning the following year.

The ideal start/finish line for the Jules Verne Trophy challenge lies between the Créac'h lighthouse on Ushant, France, and Lizard Point, England. Passing the capes of Good Hope, Leeuwin, and Horn, and then returning to the start, the shortest orthodromic route is 21,600 nautical miles—the distance the Jules Verne Trophy challengers must conquer.

In its nearly 30-year history, there have been 27 attempts started, but only 9 have broken the record, with two coming very close. All other attempts ended in retirement due to various failures.

The means employed by Jules Verne Trophy challengers have always been quite"extreme," consistently using multihulls.

The first success belonged to Bruno Peyron. Over the next decade or so, record holders took turns setting new marks: besides Peyron, Olivier de Kersauson and Peter Blake each succeeded twice. The latter, not yet knighted at the time, began writing his own legendary history with the record-breaking catamaran Enza New Zealand.

Jules Verne Trophy – Who is the Fastest?

Today, the fastest sailing vessels—and currently the only ones attempting Jules Verne Trophy records—are the 32-meter Ultim trimarans, capable of covering over 800 nautical miles in 24 hours.

The current Jules Verne Trophy holder is Francis Joyon. In 2017, sailing the trimaran Idec Sport with a crew of six, he set the record by circumnavigating the globe in 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes, and 30 seconds, at an average speed of 26.90 knots.

In the same year, François Gabart set a new benchmark for solo sailors: he completed a circumnavigation aboard the trimaran Macif in 42 days, 16 hours, 40 minutes, and 35 seconds.