Les Sables-d'Olonne (France) (AFP)

Frenchwoman Alexia Barrier (TSE-4myplanet) crossed the finish line of her first Vendée Globe on Sunday, after 111 days 17 hours 3 minutes and 44 seconds at sea.

Barrier, 41, is ranked 24th and penultimate in this 9th edition of the "Everest of the Seas".

"From this Vendée Globe, my first round-the-world trip, I remember that is not impossible. By dint of will, work and optimism, we can meet all challenges", she confided on her arrival, under a beautiful rising sun in Les Sables-d'Olonne.

"I left with the oldest boat in the fleet, and I arrived. A lot of things happened, I had great fears, great moments of joy, of happiness", added the skipper, injured back from a fall.

Of the six women present at the start of Sables d'Olonne on November 8, she is the last to be classified.

She is the 10th woman to complete a Vendée Globe since the appearance of gender diversity in competition in 1996.

Finland's Ari Huusela (Stark), last in the competition, was 920.3 miles from the finish on Sunday at 08:00 GMT.

© 2021 AFP