We ask top sailors and marine industry gurus to choose the coolest and most innovative yachts of our time. Alexia Barrier nominates the 12 Metre yacht IKRA\u201cIkra is probably the most formative yacht in my career. I was 18 and it was the first \u2018big\u2019 boat I ever raced on,\u201d recalls Barrier.
\nLaunched as Kurrewa V, Ikra was built in Scotland as a potential challenger for the 1964 America\u2019s Cup before becoming part of Baron Bich\u2019s French Cup campaign. Her duel against Pride initiated \u2018La Nioulargue\u2019, now the Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez regatta.
\n\u201cI was involved in tactics and strategy, and sometimes responsible for trimming the headsails and spinnaker \u2014 which, on a 12 Metre, means serious power and loads moving fast.
\n\u201cAs a petite 18-year-old, it could have been intimidating. But I wasn\u2019t intimidated, I was confident. That confidence came from our skipper, Olivier de Rosny. He trusted me and that trust changes everything when you\u2019re 18. I wasn\u2019t trying to prove I was strong enough \u2013 I was simply doing my job. From Olivier, I learned that leadership is not about volume \u2013 it\u2019s about trust. That lesson stayed with me forever,\u201d says Barrier.
\nPhoto: Gilles Martin-Raget
\nIKRA stats Rating
\nTop speed: 19 knots
\nLOA: 21.06m\/69ft
\nLaunched: 1963
\nBerths: 0-6
\nPrice: \u20ac550,000
\nAdrenalin factor: 75%
\nAlexia Barrier
\nAlexia Barrier is a French ocean racer who competed in the 2020\/21 Vend\u00e9e Globe, finishing 24th. She has raced in the Mini Transat, Figaro and Class 40 fleets, was a top match racer, and has crewed superyachts such as Sojana. She skippered The Famous Project, for the first all-female Jules Verne attempt \u2013 see full story from page 22.<\/p>\n
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The post World\u2019s Coolest Yachts: 12 Metre IKRA appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We ask top sailors and marine industry gurus to choose the coolest and most innovative yachts of our time. Alexia Barrier nominates the 12 Metre yacht IKRA\u201cIkra is probably the most formative yacht in my career. I was 18 and … <\/p>\n