SYDNEY, Dec 26: Australian maxi Wild Oats XI held a narrow lead over main rival Skandia in the early stages of the Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race on Friday.

Race favourite Wild Oats XI, bidding for race line honours for the fourth consecutive year, was first through Sydney Harbour Heads after the traditional Boxing Day lunchtime start, followed just over a minute later by Skandia.

At 9:00pm (1000 GMT), Wild Oats XI had a three nautical mile advantage over the 2003 line honours winner Skandia as the 100-boat fleet set sail for the 628-nautical mile race down the Australian eastern seaboard for the Tasmanian capital.

By nightfall, the two leaders had cleared out to a lead of more than 10 nautical miles over the 70-foot Ichi Ban.Wild Oats XI and Skandia were being pushed along by favourable 25 knot north-easterly winds.

Ichi Ban, Black Jack and Loki were leading the pack chasing the two maxis.

Wild Oats XI skipper Mark Richards said his boat was set for a fast passage irrespective of whether it could finish inside the maxi’s 2005 race record of one day, 18 hours, 40 minutes and 10 seconds.

“It should be under two days with a bit of luck,” Richards said by radio late Friday.

“It’s backing off a little bit. We’re a bit worried about it going a bit light around Tasman Island [in Bass Strait], but we’ll just have to see what happens.”

The pre-race forecast that westerlies predicted for late Saturday could play a bigger part in the race than initially expected.

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