KEY POINTS:
Australia's toughest and most famous yacht race will have one of its biggest international contingents when 11 overseas boats line up for today's start of the Sydney to Hobart race.
None of the visiting yachts from nine countries in the 100-boat entry list appear quick enough to challenge for line honours - where maxi Wild Oats XI is heavily favoured to win for the fourth year in a row - or emulate the overall handicap victory of American boat Rosebud last year, which finished fourth overall.
Ian Darby, the owner and skipper of Scotland-based 47-foot boat Jus'do It 3, has two broken toes to contend with after a rock fell on his foot.
"We're not going to let it stop the race," Darby said. "It will take three or four weeks to heal, so lots of painkillers and I will be all right."
Russian sailors will be aboard the 37-foot Getaway Sailing 2, after refusing to accept that they wouldn't compete following the withdrawal of their maxi Trading Network/Alye Parusa. The 85-foot maxi was ruled out of the race after cracks were discovered in its keel during a check last month.
"We had two choices, to go on this boat or not to go at all," said Dimitry Moshkov, one of the Russian sailors.
The overseas group in the 64th Sydney to Hobart also includes two boats each from the Netherlands and New Zealand, another from Britain and one each from New Caledonia, France, Switzerland, Germany and the United States.
Last year, Wild Oats XI, skippered by Mark Richards, finished the 628-nautical mile race in one day, 21 hours, 24 minutes, after crossing the line at Constitution Dock on the island state of Tasmania.
In 2005, the same yacht wiped more than an hour off the previous race record to win in one day, 18:40:10.
Richards is back at the helm of Wild Oats XI and said he wasn't sure if a race record could be set this year. "We just don't know, we'll see what happens and give it our best shot," he said.
"It's not going to be an easy race and everyone is just going to have to keep their wits about them and do a good job."
Skandia and Ichi Ban are among the yachts which should give Wild Oats a run for its money down the New South Wales state south coast and across Bass Strait to Tasmania. A spectator fleet of up to 3000 boats is expected to watch the start in Sydney Harbour this afternoon.
Favourable gusty northerly winds are expected for the start and tomorrow, with the winds expected to lessen before a forecast westerly wind change that could slow the fleet. Line honours should be decided on Sunday, but some of the smaller boats in the fleet might not reach Hobart for four or five days.
The oldest sailor in the race will be 86-year-old John Walker of Sydney, who says "youthful stupidity" made him enter his 33-foot boat Impeccable. It will be his 25th Sydney to Hobart.
"I didn't want to do it again but in the end I decided what do you do between Boxing Day and New Year? You might as well go," Walker said.
Renowned sailor Syd Fischer, who is 81, will again be one of the handicap favourites aboard Ragamuffin. He has previously won both line honours and the handicap race in this event.
The race, which was first held in 1945, has been hit by severe storms in the past.
In 1998, six sailors died and seven boats sank during a storm that hit the fleet early on the first night of the race. In 2007, eight sailors had to abandon a sinking vessel and three others were airlifted to hospital with injuries.
On Wednesday, 10 years after the deadly race, a minute's silence was observed by all the sailors in this year's event.
- AP