SYDNEY, Dec 25: Eleven overseas boats have registered for this year’s Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race, with Australian maxi Wild Oats XI the clear favourite to take line honours in the blue water classic for the fourth successive year.

The 100-strong fleet takes to the starting line here on Friday with favourable winds forecast for the 628-nautical mile race down the Australian eastern seaboard for the Tasmanian capital.

This year’s contingent of overseas entrants is the biggest in recent memory, but none looks likely to challenge Wild Oats XI, a 30-metre state-of-the-art maxi, with bookmakers expecting her to lead the way again.

While Wild Oats XI has taken line honours for the past three years, overseas raiders have enjoyed more success in the chase for overall or handicap victory.

Last year, American boat Rosebud was the winner on corrected time ahead of three of this year’s leading Australian contenders, Syd Fischer’s TP52 Ragamuffin; Ray Robert’s 50-foot Quantum Racing and Bruce Taylor’s 40-foot rocket Chutzpah.

In 2004, British boat Aera took handicap honours.

Under race rules, 74 of this year’s fleet of 100 are eligible to win on handicap.

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Commodore Matt Allen said it was unlikely any of the imports would beat the local contenders for handicap honours, which is based on the boat’s dimensions.

“There’s certainly a couple of good international boats that would have a chance, but I’d probably favour some of the Australian boats,” said Allen, whose 70-foot boat Ichi Ban has recorded top three placings in both line and handicap honours in previous years.

“I think Quantum Racing has won a lot in the ocean over the last one or two years, it’s certainly a boat to watch.”While Wild Oats XI and Skandia are expected to relish the forecast northerly breezes over the first 24 hours of the race, the smaller boats may have to contend with less favourable conditions later in the race.

A predicted change late on Saturday with the wind swinging to the west could play a factor in the battle for handicap honours, while close to gale force westerlies of up to 35 knots could make it hard work for some of the smaller and slower boats by Monday.

“It’s a bit hard to pick who is going to benefit from the weather, I think it’s hard to pick a winner for the race,” Allen said.

“Normally you have a feeling for a few different types of boats that could win the race, you could probably still pick out a few sectors that could win.

“But with that very flaky Saturday night forecast, it’s very hard to pick exactly how that is going to evolve on different parts of the race course.”

This year’s race marks the 10th anniversary of the deadly 1998 race when six sailors were lost at sea in a powerful storm.

Five yachts sank and 66 boats retired in a fleet of 115 in a marine tragedy that generated world headlines.

A subsequent inquiry into the race resulted in a considerable upgrade of safety requirements for competing yachts and their crews.—AFP