Laperche wins Route du Rhum in record time

French skipper Tom Laperche won the Route du Rhum on Saturday, posting a record time in his first attempt at the prestigious trans-Atlantic yacht race.

The 29-year-old took his Ultim multihull SVR Lazartigue across the finish line in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe at 10:31 pm local time after six days, 13 hours and 27 minutes at sea. He beat the previous record, set by Charles Caudrelier in 2022, by about six hours. As he approached the finish buoy in the darkness, Laperche celebrated with a barefoot leap onto the trampoline net of his trimaran while waving to his technical team on a following craft. Having headed the fleet alone for several days, he skillfully handled the perilous circumnavigation of Guadeloupe to glide to victory.