Over the last several years, The Famous Project CIC grew from the seed of an audacious idea to a powerful demonstration of collaborative leadership as eight women crossed the start line on Saturday 29th November, united in their Jules Verne Trophy attempt. The maxi trimaran IDEC Sport, led by skipper Alexia Barrier and co-skipper Dee Caffari, began the extreme round-the-world race for crewed multihulls. If successful, this pioneering team will be the first all-female crew to complete the 40,000km challenge. The record they’re collectively pursuing was set nine years ago by Francis Joyon and his five-man crew in 40 days, 23 hours, and 30 minutes.
For Dee, this marks her seventh circumnavigation of the globe, and a week into the racing, the entire crew must work in seamless coordination as they navigate the doldrums and approach the equator crossing. The disrupted systems of the Intertropical Convergence Zone bring stormy weather, gusts and clouds capable of sucking all the air out of a stretch of water. The constantly changing nature of the conditions demands strong leadership and flawless teamwork to navigate this tricky section of the race. The crossing of the equator represents a significant milestone for the crew – while this will be Dee’s fifteenth crossing into the southern hemisphere, she takes on a mentorship role for the youngest crew member on board, fellow Brit Deborah Blair, for whom this will be a first, exemplifying the supportive team dynamic that makes The Famous Project CIC so extraordinary.
“This will be my fifteenth crossing of the equator. They are all symbolic in their own way. It’s important to remember that as sailors and travellers, we are very superstitious and very traditional.
I think the first thing to do is to welcome Neptune, to ask him for permission and safe passage to the southern hemisphere, but also for the right of passage for one of our crew members who will be crossing the equator for the very first time. I was very happy when I made my first crossing. At the time, I was in charge of a boat with 17 people on board, and there were a number of people who were crossing for the very first time.
I think it’s important to celebrate this moment. As for our young crew member, who is crossing the equator for the first time, she is already a little nervous, and we are having conversations among ourselves where we “threaten” her with a number of unspeakable things for her “christening”.
I don’t want to reveal all our secrets, but the threats involve razor blades, scissors, highlighters, and flying fish… we’ve gathered all of these items, and she has no idea where we’re hiding them. But she’ll earn her right of passage when we reach the equator and enter the southern hemisphere.
We’ll celebrate Neptune as we should, because it’s a milestone of our adventure. It’s very exciting. A lot is going to happen in a very short space of time, and in very turbulent sailing conditions.”
Dee Caffari
You can follow The Famous Project CIC’s record attempt on the following platforms:
- The Famous Project CIC tracking map: https://thefamousproject.io/mapster-wp-map/tracking-theboat/
- Website: https://thefamousproject.io/
- The Famous Project CIC on social media: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook
