Sailing-Barrier ready to make history in Route du Rhum on ocean-racing giant

BREST, Oct 10 : Alexia Barrier looks impossibly small at the helm of IDEC Sport-CIC, a 32-metre (105-foot) trimaran capable of hurtling across the ocean at more than 40 knots. Soon, she will be entirely alone.

On November 1, the 46-year-old French sailor will climb aboard the giant vessel in Saint-Malo and attempt something no woman has done before: race solo in the giant ULTIM class in the Route du Rhum.

“It’s the biggest machine participating in offshore sailing around the world,” Barrier told Reuters. “Only eight of this kind are on the planet. So I’m happy, proud and privileged to be skipper of this machine.”

On a bright October morning in Brest, Barrier looked tiny on the deck of the huge red trimaran, 23 metres (75 feet) wide with a mast towering 34 metres (112 feet) above the water.

She hoisted the mainsail to the sound of the Black Eyed Peas’ “Meet Me Halfway”, rehearsing the manoeuvres she will soon have to perform entirely alone. Even in the light breeze, the boat quickly accelerated towards 23 knots.

“The sails are huge. It’s really powerful. A sail is more than 100 kilos. I’m 55 kilos,” she said.

“It goes so fast and if you make a mistake, it can be terrible because you can hurt the boat and hurt yourself. I’m super happy, but I’m more focused than ever.”

The boat has reached speeds of around 46 knots. Barrier laughs about the prospect of matching that herself.

“The record is about 46 knots, but you have to be a bit crazy to be at the helm at that speed,” she joked.

FIRST ALL-FEMALE CREW

Nine months ago, Barrier was leading the first all-female crew to set a reference time for the Jules Verne Trophy, sailing non-stop around the world. Now she is swapping that camaraderie for the peculiar solitude of single-handed ocean