Route du rhum is a yacht race, held every 4 years.

The captains, called skippers, leave from Saint-Malo, in Brittany, and cross the Atlantic Ocean, solo, to reach Pointe-à-Pitre, in Guadeloupe.

The name means “Rum Route” because rum is an alcohol made in Guadeloupe where the race ends.

How is this famous yacht race run?

About 100 professional and amateur skippers start from Saint Malo.

They must sail over 4000 miles to reach Pointe à Pitre in the shortest possible time using only wind power.

There are six categories of boat: monohulls (yachts with one hull), and multihulls, which go much faster.

State-of-the-art, they speed along at 34 mph, skimming over the surface of the water.

That is how some champions finish the race in a week, like Loïck Peyron did in 2014.