The seventh Vendée Globe left Les Sables-d'Olonne on 10 November 2012 with twenty skippers and some 300,000 spectators. Attrition began immediately: Marc Guillemot (Safran's keel broke), Kito de Pavant (collision with a trawler off Portugal), then Louis Burton, Samantha Davies (dismasted) and Jérémie Beyou (keel ram).
At the front, François Gabart (Macif) and Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire) fought a close duel through the South Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, ahead of Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss). Vincent Riou retired after hitting a metal buoy, while Bernard Stamm was disqualified by the jury for receiving assistance during a stop at the Auckland Islands.
Gabart won on 27 January 2013 in 78 days 2 h 16 min 40 s, the youngest winner and the first under 80 days, just over three hours ahead of Le Cléac'h. Thomson completed the podium. Jean-Pierre Dick lost his keel in the Atlantic but still finished fourth; Javier Sansó capsized after a keel failure and was winched off by helicopter. Eleven skippers finished, Alessandro Di Benedetto last on 22 February 2013.