Yachting: Alfa Romeo leads Sydney to Hobart

SYDNEY - Alfa Romeo brushed off a sunfish but was having more trouble getting away from Wild Oats XI in a fast-paced start to this year's Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

As darkness descended yesterday, the fleet of 85 boats was still intact, with the three leading boats inside Nokia's 1999 race record pace.

However, the prospect of that record of one day, 19 hours, 48 minutes and two seconds being eclipsed this year receded after the favourable northeasterly breezes forecast for last evening failed to appear.

Shortly before 11pm (NZ time), New Zealand's Alfa Romeo held a 2.6 nautical mile advantage over Wild Oats XI as the front-running trio of super maxis were racing in around a 12-knot southeaster as they made their way down the NSW south coast.

Alfa Romeo was achieving top speeds of up to 16 knots with Wild Oats XI just marginally slower.

The front running New Zealand boat was also an early leader in the battle for overall IRC honours, which determines the overall winner of the race.

A second Australian super maxi, Victorian boat Skandia, was 5-1/2 miles off the lead in third place.

The first three had established a handy gap over the fourth super maxi, New Zealand's Konica Minolta, which was 13 miles eastern.

Australian maxi AAPT, which took line honours last year when it was called Nicorette, was 16 miles behind the leader in fifth spot.

Wild Oats XI led the fleet through Sydney Heads, but Alfa Romeo hit the front just after an hour into the race.

Alfa Romeo struck the sunfish as it was going past Botany Bay in southern Sydney, but the New Zealand boat reported no significant damage or delay.

Fortified by their first meal at sea, a baked been stew, Alfa Romeo was hoping for a shift in the direction of the breeze.

"We've just got to concentrate on making sure that we don't make any mistakes as it gets dark," Alfa Romeo navigator Ian Moore told AAP tonight.

"Things become much more difficult in the dark and we have to rely on the training we've done."

Skandia navigator Will Oxley said his boat was still in the hunt.

The Victorian super maxi's skipper Grant Wharington was in the unusual position of focusing on two races in different continents.

While his yacht was grappling with conditions in Australia, his Volvo Ocean Race boat, ING Real Estate Brunel, was set to tackle a 30-mile in-port race for leg two of the round-the-world event.

"They've got an important race tonight, so we'll be keeping an eye on the computer to see how they get on," Wharington said.

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia commodore Geoff Lavis marvelled at the early pace set by the four super maxis, despite the unfavourable conditions.

"To be doing up to 15 knots in basically 10 knots of breeze in pretty much an easterly is quite exceptional," Lavis said.

He was confident the fleet would be able to deal with the heavier southwesterly breezes forecast for Wednesday, when the middle of the fleet was expected to contend with probably the toughest conditions of the race.

"I think they are quite prepared for what they're going to face," Lavis said.

"The fleet is very well informed of what's likely to come and I don't think there would be anyone terribly worried."

- AAP