SYDNEY, Dec 25: Records are likely to tumble in this year’s Sydney to Hobart yacht race as strong winds power the fleet down Australia’s east coast for the annual bluewater classic, experts predict.

The “supermaxis” are again expected to dominate the 628-nautical mile race, which begins on Wednesday, with the 82-strong fleet making a dash out of Sydney Harbour before heading south to the island state of Tasmania.

Australian supermaxi Wild Oats enters the 63rd Sydney to Hobart as the bookies’ favourite and is expected to challenge its own record time of one day, 18 hours, 40 minutes and 10 seconds set in 2005.

The 30-metre (100-foot) Wild Oats will also be vying for a third consecutive line honours win, a feat not achieved since 1948.

But rival Australian supermaxi Skandia and British challenger Leopard are expected to push the titleholder to the limit.

The supermaxis’ crews will be hoping for better weather than last year, when rough seas and equipment failure sank one boat and forced eight others to retire, including Wild Oats’ main rivals.

Even those conditions were eclipsed by the mountainous seas experienced in 1998, when six sailors drowned, forcing organisers to tighten technical and safety requirements for all entrants.

Bureau of Metoerology spokesman Barry Hanstrum said this year the fleet could expect northerly breezes for the first three days, with a slight chance that a southerly change could develop into a major storm on the second day.

“The fresh nor’easter will get the race off to a flying start,’ he said, raising hopes of a colourful spinnaker start out of Sydney harbour.

Wild Oats skipper Mark Richards last month predicted his yacht could smash its existing record by 10 hours and his tactician Iain Murray said the latest weather forecasts were promising.

“If ever there is a forecast for us to break the record, then this is it,” Murray said.

Leopard skipper Mike Slade said his yacht had shown that it was capable of setting records when the vessel took line hours in this year’s Fastnet Race in Britain, lopping almost nine hours off the record time in the process.—AFP