Yachting: Sydney to Hobart looms as a classic

Kiwi maxi will be one of the yachts to watch - as always - in the Sydney to Hobart. Photo / Supplied

SYDNEY - The 2009 Sydney to Hobart looms as one of the all-time great international yacht races with an unparalleled array of big boats and some quality overseas entrants.

Not since the 50th race back in 1994 has so much anticipation preceded the running of the annual race.

While this year's fleet of around 100 will get nowhere near the quantity of 371 starters in 1994, it boasts even greater quality.

With race organisers changing the rules to allow 100-foot boats into the fleet, the event has attracted a cluster of top-class maxis.

"This fleet has never lined up anywhere else in the world and it probably never will apart from in this race," Cruising Yacht Club of Australia commander Matt Allen said.

Wild Oats XI will face its greatest ever opposition as it strives to build on its race record of four successive line honour's victories.

Britain's Fastnet race line honours victor ICAP Leopard, which finished second across the line to Wild Oats in 2006 has come back for another crack at the great race.

Another formidable maxi, New Zealand's Alfa Romeo, which followed Wild Oats home in 2005, has accumulated an incredible 143 line-honours' victories over four years.

Two other maximum length boats, Investec LOYAL and Rapture will also be starting on Boxing Day, along with the 98-foot Etihad Stadium and the 90-foot YuuZoo.

Both boats took line honours in the years immediately prior to the start of Oats' streak, albeit under different names.

However, the participation of Etihad Stadium could be in doubt until the last few hours before the race, as the crew battle against the clock to install a replacement mast transported from the south of France.

Etihad skipper Grant Wharington purchased the replacement rig from Alfa owner Neville Crichton.

Adding lustre to the race will be the return of Crichton, ICAP Leopard owner Mike Slade and YuuZoo skipper Ludde Ingvall.

All three are among the more charismatic and outspoken characters in a sport that is not exactly renowned for producing shrinking violets.

Wild Oats and Alfa Romeo are expected to lead the fleet in downwind conditions, while Leopard could reach Hobart first, if the slog south is mainly upwind.

As usual, the race has attracted its share of celebrities, most of whom will be aboard LOYAL.

Wallabies Phil Waugh and Phil Kearns, multiple Olympic swimming gold medallist Grant Hackett, world champion boxer Danny Green and television game show host Larry Emdur will take their place alongside several more experienced sailors, as they attempt to raise money for the LOYAL Foundation.

IBO cruiserweight world champion Green found the prospect of tackling the legendary race even more daunting than having his head and body punched for a living.

The overseas challenge doesn't stop at the battle for line honours.

British entrant Ran was the overall winner of this year's Fastnet race and looms as a significant threat to defending champion Quest and the other major Australian contenders.

"Ran has to be the favourite, it's the boat that won the Rolex Fastnet race and it's absolutely state of the art," veteran Quest crew member Mike Green said.

The TP52 boats which performed so well in last year's race are again expected to feature prominently along with three-times overall winner and sentimental favourite Love & War.

Allen, who will again combine his duties as commodore with being skipper of the 70-foot Ichi Ban, stressed the Sydney to Hobart had graduated from being "an iconic Australian race to an iconic world race".

He expected the race website traffic to grow from 142 million hits last year to around 200 million in 2009.

"The whole world will be watching," Allen said.

- AAP