Ireland’s Joan Mulloy and Pamela Lee were on hand alongside their teammates in The Famous Project to see the launch of their Maxi trimaran IDEC SPORT in front of the Multiplast shipyard in Vannes, France on Friday (31 May).
After five months of work, the legendary sailboat — triple winner of the Route du Rhum and holder of the Jules Verne Trophy since 2017 — has returned to its natural element.
Captain Alexia Barrier will now be able to gradually take command of the 31.5m giant. A busy summer lies ahead, which she and her all-women team will use to fine-tune the boat while continuing the delicate selection of the crew set to attempt the Jules Verne Trophy record in 2025.
The sailboat, launched in June 2006 under the colours of Groupama, needed a thorough and detailed inspection. “We stripped the boat completely bare,” Alexia says.
From left: Laurent Metral, CIC director of HR and communications with Dee Caffari, Marie Riou, Alexia Barrier, Elodie Jane Mettraux, CIC Group chair Patrice Lafargue, Deborah Blair, Joan Mulloy, Pamela Lee and Marie Tabarly | Credit: Jean-Marie Liot/The Famous Project
“Hulls, bulkheads, arms and mast were meticulously inspected for the slightest weakness or signs of aging. All hardware, standing and running rigging were disassembled and checked in the finest detail,” adds Eric Lamy, a former member of the Groupama Sailing Team, who knows the ship perfectly and led the work with eight people.
“Everything that needed to be changed was replaced within our budget limits. With its new design by Jean-Baptiste Epron, the boat seems to have regained a second youth.”
A new era now opens for The Famous Project team and Alexia, just a month after their first all-female Atlantic crossing. Taming the giant and discovering its secrets for will take time and many sails. And finding the right profiles to accompany the boat on the Jules Verne campaign is still the subject of a meticulous recruitment campaign that is not yet complete.
“There is no shortage of female talent in sailing,” Alexia says. “IDEC SPORT is open to the world and to all female sailors who dare to dream. Our project is no limit!”
