Inoxtag is counting on the skills of skipper Guirec Soudée to complete the passage between Lorient and Martinique, his destination. But this isn’t Guirec’s first rodeo: he finished in 23rd place in the last Vendée Globe Race, though he’s best known for sailing around the world with his hen Monique, as well as having rowed across the Atlantic in both directions.
Inoxtag, whose real name is Inès Benazzouz, was born on February 2, 2002, in Levallois-Perret on the outskirts of Paris. A French videographer and streamer, he made a name for himself on YouTube and Twitch with his gaming videos. In 2024, he decided to set himself a challenge: to climb Mount Everest. This successful project was documented from start to finish and resulted in Kaizen, a documentary film that consolidated his reputation and promoted values such as courage, perseverance, and pushing himself beyond his limits. His filmed adventure story inspired millions of young people.
Although he is familiar with physical and mental challenges, Inoxtag has no experience in sailing. To make the most of this Atlantic crossing, he’ll be accompanied by boat captain Bertrand Delesne. The experience will of course be filmed and broadcast on YouTube.
This is a new sporting goal for Inoxtag, who will experience the open ocean in the company of a sailor who is also young, but ten years his senior. Guirec Soudée, who is also familiar with modern modes of communication, will welcome him aboard one of the fastest sailboats in the world, an Ultim trimaran capable of exceeding 40 knots.
This transatlantic passage with Inoxtag will be a nice warm-up for Guirec Soudée and good media exposure for his next project. After this crossing, the skipper is set to embark on a single-handed, non-stop, wrong-way-around-the-world trip – i.e., against the prevailing winds and currents. His goal is to beat the record set in 2004 by Jean-Luc Van Den Heede.
Around the World the Wrong Way
The Record to Beat: 122 days and 14 hours
The route follows a Vendée Globe-type course, but in reverse, against the prevailing winds and currents. Setting off from Brest, France, Guirec will first round Cape Horn before sailing around Antarctica, passing Cape Leeuwin and the Cape of Good Hope, and finally heading north up the Atlantic, back to Brest. Nearly 30,000 nautical miles await the skipper on his trip from Brest to Brest, as he navigates the low-pressure systems he will encounter. This is undoubtedly the most daring circumnavigation in maritime history, never before undertaken single-handed and non-stop on a multihull.
To date, the record for sailing around the world the wrong way is held by Jean Luc Van Den Heede in a monohull, which he set 21 years ago in 122 days and 14 hours. In multihulls, only two attempts have been made—both unsuccessful—by Yves Le Blevec in 2017 on the Ultim Actual, and by Romain Pilliard and Alex Pella in 2021 aboard Use it Again.
Guirec Soudée: An Unconventional but Ambitious Sailor
© MACSF
Born in 1992, Guirec Soudée is known for his five-year sailing trip around the world accompanied by his hen Monique and for his double crossing of the Atlantic Ocean under oar power. In 2021, he bought an Imoca sailboat and began learning offshore racing with a view to entering the 2024 Vendée Globe. Qualified among the 40 participants admitted to the start, he completed his circumnavigation on February 8, 2025, in 23rd place (though the 5th boat equipped with daggerboards), in a time of 89 days, 20 hours, 16 minutes, and 20 seconds.
Ultim MACSF: A Tried and Tested Trimaran!
© MACSF
The Ultim MACSF was first launched in 2014 bearing the name Sodebo Ultim'... but this giant trimaran has much earlier origins, as it borrowed many elements such as the connecting arms and floats from Geronimo, a multihull launched 13 years previously. The trimaran continued its (very) long career under the names Actual Leader, Mieux, and finally Adagio before flying the colors of MACSF, a French insurance company for healthcare professionals founded in 1935.
Length: 102’ (31 m)
Beam: 70’ (21.2 m)
Mast height: 115’ (35 m)
Maximum sail area: 7,136 sq ft (663 m²)
Top speed: 43 knots
