The race saw the 24-hour singlehanded distance record repeatedly reset by several competitors.

Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire) set a new race record for shortest time to the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope,[1] and François Gabart (Macif) set new race records for shortest time to the longitude of Cape Leeuwin in Australia and to Cape Horn.

On 27 January 2013, Gabart set a new Vendée Globe record with just over 78 days to complete the circumnavigation.

The interval of 3h 17’ between the arrivals of the first and second contenders is also the shortest in the race's history.

[3] Jean Piere Dick finished the Vendee Globe without the keel attached[4] as a remarkable piece of seamanship meant he sailed the final 2650 nautical miles.