This week, The Famous Project has announced the crew roster for their all-female around the world speed record attempt. They hope to set a new record for the fastest circumnavigation, and at least put something on the board for the fastest nonstop crewed women’s circumnavigation (a previous attempt by Tracy Edwards in 1998 was on pace to break the overall record but dismasted in the Southern Ocean).
The project, spearheaded by French ocean sailor Alexia Barrier, brought Dee Caffari on as a co-skipper in the early days. “I would never have done something like this with someone who is not able to smile and laugh about every single thing, little things or big,” Barrier told SAIL contributor Lindsay Gimple in an interview earlier this month. “That’s really important.”
Crew selection has been a long process as the team looks not just for a proven track record on the water but a willingness to learn and a good personality fit for the project. “You can have the best sailor in the world in your team, but if this person is not able to share [their strengths] then it is not useful when you try to build a team,” Barrier says.
The seven-person crew will include Barrier, Caffari, Deborah Blair, Annemieke Bess, Rebecca Gmur Hornell, Molly Lambert LaPointe, and Tamará Echegoyen
Alexia Barrier (FR)
Barrier competed in the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe, one of only 14 women to ever attempt the race. She has raced thousands of offshore miles, including 18 transats and will be the skipper aboard IDEC Sport during this year’s around the world attempt.
Dee Caffari (UK)
Caffari brings offshore miles and team experience to complement Barrier’s shorthanded sailing record. In addition to her own Vendée Globe campaign in 2009, she skippered the 2017-2018 Volvo Ocean Race campaign Turn the Tide on Plastic, and crewed on the 2014-2015 Team SCA.
Deborah Blair (UK)
At just 22 years old, Blair is the youngest member of the team. She brings VO65 experience to the crew and completed an Atlantic crossing with Barrier in 2024 aboard The Famous Project’s Mod 70 Limosa.
Annemieke Bes (NED)
Bes seems to have experience in a little bit of everything, having competed in three Olympics, sailed aboard VO65 Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag in the 2017/2018 Volvo Ocean Race, and IMOCA 60 Holcim-PRB in the 2023 Ocean Race
Rebecca Gmuer Hornell (SUI/NZ)
A rigger by trade, Gmuer Hornell comes to the campaign with plenty of offshore experience, having raced in the 2023 Ocean Race Europe (Team Amaala), the Sydney-Hobart, Fastnet, Caribbean 600, and a transatlantic aboard Limosa.
Molly Lambert LaPointe (US/IT)
The only American on the boat, Lambert LaPointe has done a significant number of her offshore miles aboard classic boats, including Maiden and a tall ship. When things get tough, she has a reputation for not being afraid to get her hands dirty.
Támara Echegoyen (SP)
Olympic gold medalist Echegoyen competed in four Olympic campaigns spanning from 2012 to 2024. In 2017, she joined the Spanish VO65 Mapfre for three legs of The Volvo Ocean Race and later competed with a 2024 Women’s America’s Cup team.
Stay tuned for more on The Famous Project in an upcoming issue of Multihull Power & Sail or visit thefamousproject.io.
