40 skippers will set off this Sunday for the world tour with the hope of winning a small prize by crossing the finish line as the winner.
Crossing the finish line of the Vendée Globe as a winner will open the doors to the pantheon of ocean racing, but the feat does not make the winner a wealthy man. The winner of the 2024-2025 edition, whose start will be given this Sunday at 1:02 p.m. precisely, will be no exception to this rule.
He will receive a check for 200,000 euros, or a quarter of the overall grant awarded this year. This was 600,000 euros eight years ago before being increased to 800,000 for the ninth edition, the budget of which was around 16 million euros. This has increased significantly (21 million euros) this year for the 10th solo round the world trip in history but the earnings have not changed.
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The second in the ranking will receive 140,000 euros (a little less than the amount awarded to the loser of a third round at Roland-Garros) and the third 100,000 euros. The reward decreases to 15,000 euros for the tenth in the ranking. The skippers classified beyond 10th place will then share 100,000 euros but each person’s share cannot be higher than the price received by the 10th. Skippers often share these gains with their technical team, but this common practice is not systematic.
Sailors are in high demand in business
To boost his bank account, the winner of the solo round-the-world trip will be able to pull other levers. By having negotiated performance bonuses in his contract with the sponsor in particular. The figures are confidential and kept very secret but Armel Le Cleac’h, winner of the previous edition, had for example concluded a bonus paid by Banque Populaire, in addition to the 160,000 euros linked to his first place. This practice is quite common for large teams but the best bonus often consists of extending the contract between the skipper and his sponsor.
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Completing a world tour and the resulting benefits also offer sailors the opportunity to carry out paid work within companies. Certain services can sometimes bring in a lot of money in one day. The coast for sailors to host seminars remains in good shape. “It ranges from 1,500 euros minimum to 5,000 euros on average. For the very big names in sailing, the intervention can bring in up to 18,000 euros.confirms a communications professional in sport. Sailors also have every interest in capitalizing on their excellent image with advertisers.
The distribution of Vendée Globe winnings:
1st: 200,000 Euros
2nd: 140,000 Euros
3rd: 100,000 Euros
4th: 80,000 Euros
5th: 50,000 Euros
6th: 40,000 Euros
7th: 30,000 Euros
8th: 25,000 Euros
9th: 20,000 Euros
10th: 15,000 Euros
