Yachting: NZ supermaxi with leaders in classic

SYDNEY - New supermaxi Nicorette took the initial bragging rights in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race yesterday, but fancied overall contender Targe notched the first that every boat hoped to avoid.

Targe became the first casualty, withdrawing because of engine failure less than two hours into the classic race.

But the 30m Nicorette, belonging to Sydney-based Scandinavian Ludde Ingvall, won the dash to be the first boat out through Sydney Heads and was closely followed by the two slightly larger supermaxis Skandia and New Zealand entry Konica Minolta.

It was an encouraging start for Ingvall, although the sprint out of Sydney Harbour is hardly an indicator of its prospects in the 628-nautical mile race.

The 22m AAPT made the best start of the rest of the 116-strong fleet, flying out to keep pace with the supermaxis.

With the largest fleet for 10 years to celebrate the 60th running of the event, there was a two-line start, one for the line honours contenders and one for the rest of the fleet.

Watched from foreshore vantage points by about 400,000 people and flanked by hundreds of spectator craft, the fleet enjoyed calm, sunny weather as the starter's gun fired.

But the race start was hit by confusion after early reports suggested up to 15 boats on the secondary start line might have jumped the gun.

There was also an unsubstantiated report of a recall gun being fired and it was understood three boats - believed to be Challenge, Another Challenge and First National Real Estate - all decided to turn back and start again.

However, Mark Pryke, the principal race officer, said officials met to determine what happened and race committee member Rod Skellet had deemed the start to be a fair one.

A communication breakdown was believed to be the cause of the confusion over the start.

The start gun went a few seconds late and while some competitors waited for the gun, others took their cue from the flags that are raised to signal the start of the race.

Pryke said there was no illegality and officials had declared it a clean start.

"While any boat has the right to apply for redress over the start it is, in my opinion, highly unlikely that it will be given if any boat did lodge a protest," he said.

While the tally of boats at the start was supposed to be 116, Wild Oats did not set off at the stipulated time.

Wild Oats suffered an engine mounting problem and only set off for the start about 1 3/4 hours after the rest of the fleet.

Adverse winds meant the yachts were unable to make the traditional full spinnaker run out of the harbour, although the much-vaunted trio of supermaxis still managed to establish their dominance in a tacking duel. While Nicorette won the first battle in the race, the yacht remained an unknown quantity having never raced before.

The three fancied supermaxis moved to the head of the fleet after a few minutes with Konica Minolta going further offshore and its two rivals and Nicorette staying closest to land.

Crews have been warned the easy conditions early in the race will be replaced by strong winds and heavy seas as the fleet nears Bass Strait.

Meteorologists predict the weather could be the worst since 1998, when six sailors drowned in a tragedy that threatened the existence of the race, rated as one of the world's top-three bluewater classics.

A police launch will trail the fleet for the first time along the NSW coast.

- AAP