Yachting: Smoke at the round-the-world starting gun

By JULIE ASH

SYDNEY - To the sound of the Split Enz song Six Months in a Leaky Boat, the round-the-world fleet said goodbye to Sydney yesterday and set sail for Auckland.

But first, in a tribute to Sir Peter Blake, the eight boats left the dock in silence.

Before hundreds of family members, friends and supporters who had come to bid them farewell, they formed a circle and the crews dropped wreaths into the water as a tribute to one of the world's best, and best-known, sailors.

The race fleet then made its way to the start line in Sydney Harbour under skies made hazy by bush fires.

For the first time, the round-the-world fleet is taking part in the 630-nautical mile Sydney to Hobart race. The eight started 200m ahead of the main contingent of 75 yachts.

Also on the water and along the harbour were hundreds of spectators who had turned out to watch the start of the 57th Sydney to Hobart bluewater classic and the start of the third leg of the Volvo Ocean Race.

As the gun sounded, some of the maxis hoisted Code Zero spinnakers as they headed towards the start line. News Corp and illbruck led the fleet away towards the first turning mark while Grant Dalton's Amer Sports One and Assa Abloy stalled behind the line.

The Sydney to Hobart leaders were already overtaking the tailenders of the round-the-world fleet before the Sydney Heads.

Last night, News Corp held a narrow half-mile lead over illbruck and djuice among the round-the-world boats.

SEB, Tyco, Amer Sports One, Amer Sport Too and Assa Abloy followed.

News Corp navigator Ross Field said it was great to have been first around the Heads.

"It was a last-minute decision to change to a Code Zero.

"Steve Cotton and Peter Isler did a fantastic job of spotting the breeze.

"But we have a tough 24 hours ahead as we have to get south to make the oncoming south-westerly."

Dalton said last night that the fleet was becalmed.

"The air is thick from the bush fires, which has interrupted the breeze," he said.

"The boat is covered with flies trying to escape the bush fires."

Dalton's crew were already having to repair a pipe in the water ballast system.

The round-the-world fleet is expected to reach Hobart in two to three days, where they will stop for 3 1/2 hours. They are expected to reach Auckland on January 4.

Late last night, one of the favourites for line hours, Swedish maxi Nicorette, had overcome a poor start to take the lead five hours into the race. Skipper Ludde Ingvall had earlier been disappointed at the start, when conditions were not what he expected.

"We had two different wind directions at the same time. The top of one mast was going one way and the other was going the other way and we just can't get going with that," he said.

Volvo Ocean Race competitors