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Sydney to Hobart yacht race begins

Australian super-maxi Wild Oats, left, skippered by Bob Oatley, leads archrival New Zealand super-maxi Alfa Romeo, skippered by Neville Crichton, out of Sydney Harbor after the start of the 61st annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

Race favorite Wild Oats led an 85-strong fleet out of the harbor yesterday to start the 61st Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

The new super maxi took less than 10 minutes to sail from the start through Sydney Heads, then made the turn south for the trip down Australia's east coast to the southern island state of Tasmania.

Alfa Romeo was close behind as the racing yachts emerged from a massive flotilla of spectator craft. An estimated 400,000 people watched from the harbor shores.

Wild Oats and Alfa Romeo are among the five super maxis expected to challenge the six-year-old race record. Nokia set the mark for the 1,163km race at one day, 19 hours, 48 minutes and two seconds in 1999.

In its final briefing to skippers, the Bureau of Meteorology described the conditions as ideal for racing, with strong northerly winds helping the bigger yachts.

"The forecast is very good for a record-breaking race, particularly for the maxi boats that are likely to get through to the finish without any southerly flow ... other than a little bit at the start," said Geoff Lavis, commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, which sanctions the annual blue water event.
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