A 2-time circumnavigator via Cape Horn, Alexia Barrier, grew up in Nice, where she discovered sailing at the age of three aboard her family’s yacht. A natural- athlete, she tried her hand at basketball and freediving before turning wholeheartedly to the sea while pursuing studies in sports management (STAPS) at the University of Nice.
In 2005, she received support from Roxy for her first Mini Transat. which marked the beginning of a high-level sailing career, both solo and in double-handed or crewed races. She has competed in Figaro, Class40, IMOCA, Maxi yachts, and multihulls, sailing alongside renowned skippers including Florence Arthaud, Peter Holmberg, Andy Beadsworth and Dennis Connor.
At 25, Alexia realised her future lay offshore. She began a series of major transatlantic crossings and ocean races: the Transat AG2R with Samantha Davies in 2006, the Route de l’Équateur with Florence Arthaud in 2007, the Maxi Transatlantic in 2011, and the Route du Rhum in 2018.
Alexia founded the programme 4myplanet in 2009, becoming the first woman to attempt a solo round-the-world voyage in the name of science aboard an IMOCA 60. Covering 20,000 miles in five months, she collected more than 1-million data points on surface water for European ocean observation programmes. 10,000 children — the kids 4myplanet — followed her adventure in France, Monaco, South Africa, Brazil, and New York.
On November 8, 2020, Alexia set off on the 2020/1 Vendée Globe aboard her IMOCA 4myplanet. Despite suffering a fractured vertebrae, she completed this solo circumnavigation in 111 days at sea to finish in 24th place.
Alexia then began to dream even bigger. She launched The Famous Project, later named The Famous Project CIC to bring together an international crew of exceptional women sailors, determined to break the Jules Verne Trophy record aboard the maxi-trimaran IDEC SPORT. They did that, setting an all-female record of 57 days 21 hours and 20 minutes and leave a positive legacy for future
