Coastal Classic: All you need to know

The 2013 edition of the Coastal Classic sailing race between North Head and the Bay of Islands gets under way. Photo / Dean Purcell.

A fleet of 143 yachts will set off from Devonport Wharf tomorrow morning in this year's instalment of New Zealand's biggest yacht race, the Coastal Classic.

Here's all you need to know about the event:

The Course.
The 119 nautical mile course begins off Devonport Wharf in Auckland's Waitemata Harbour, and finishes at Russell Wharf in the Bay of Islands.

The contenders.

Multihulls:

TeamVodafoneSailing
The big red trimaran owned by skipper Simon Hull is the overall record holder in the event, they'll need good luck on the weather front to better her blistering run in 2012.

Taeping
This 13.5m catamaran is owned by Dave Andrews and is continuously updated and improved. Taeping won the 2007 and 2008 events, placing third in 2012. Taeping is more than capable of hanging on to TeamVodafone downwind, but upwind the bigger boat can be twice as quick.

Morticia
A new entry this year, Shaun Carroll's Morticia is a featherweight trimaran from Australia that has been described as one of the fastest boats in Australia in light weather. At just 30 feet long, she's only half the length of TeamVodafone, but could still punch well above her mere 974kg weight if the conditions are right.

Monohulls:

Beau Geste
Launched last year, Beau Geste is the 80 foot Botin built to replace her namesake, which was severely damaged in the 2012 Auckland to Noumea race. Owned and skippered by Karl Kwok, Beau Geste showed her form in June this year when she won the Auckland to Fiji race.

Giacomo
This will be Giacomo's second outing in the Coastal Classic, having placed first among the monohulls in 2013. Arguably one of the most high tech monohulls in existence, this 70 foot boat, formerly known as Groupama, won the last Volvo Ocean Race and is now renamed Giacomo, after the grandfather of its new owner, winemaker Jim Delegat.
Other entrants of note.

Smudge
The sole all-female entry in this year's race is a women's sailing team from Tauranga, aboard Smudge - a Farr 9.2. The team was also the first ever all-female entry in the Auckland to Tauranga race in April this year.

Lion New Zealand and Steinlager 2
For the first time ever, both Lion New Zealand and Steinlager 2 will be racing together in the Coastal Classic. The maxi yachts, both campaigned by Sir Peter Blake in the past, are now operated by the NZ Sailing Trust, and will be crewed by a mix of professional and amateur sailors, including many youth sailors.

Where to watch the action.
The best vantage spots for spectators are Devonport Wharf, Tamaki Drive or North Head, between 9.00am and 10.30am.

A change to the starting order this year means the smaller boats will start first, followed by the faster, high performance fleet. With the big boats powering through the small boat fleet, spectators should enjoy even more spectacular viewing than ever before.