The Tour de France a la voile-- the Tour de France of the sea -- is a three-week, nine-leg race.
FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP/Getty Images
A total of 28 teams compete in the competition that starts in Dunkerque in the north and ends in Nice in the south east.
FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP/Getty Images
Jean Etienne Amaury, president of the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) that owns both events, sees many parallels between to the two competitions.
FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP/Getty Images
"We see many synergies between the cycling Tour de France and the sailing Tour de France," Amaury told CNN's Main Sail. "The logistical part of both events is important because we change place every day."
FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP/Getty Images
It concludes the same day as cycling's Tour de France, but on the sea the leader sports a blue spinnaker as opposed to a yellow jersey.