Sydney was gifted one of the most exhilarating starts to the 72nd Sydney to Hobart, as spectators flocked to the harbour foreshore on a glorious Boxing Day.
A bluebird sky welcomed crews at Rushcutters Bay as early bird spectators formed the first of the estimated 600,000 to 1 million people who would line the coast to catch a glimpse of the 88-strong fleet.
![Perpetual Loyal vies with Wild Oats XI and Scallywag at the race start.](/web/20161229093905im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/h/z/r/b/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gthw4l.png/1482728530515.jpg)
There was nothing but good news for the skippers and their crew who crammed into the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) for the final briefing.
It was only 8.30am but beads of sweat were already forming on the brows of the professional sailors gunning for line honours, and the Corinthians – amateur crews keen to have a crack at the division titles.
![Sydney to Hobart spectators at South Head.](/web/20161229093905im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/h/z/2/s/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gthw4l.png/1482728530515.jpg)
With zinc on their noses and lips and eyes that betrayed no signs of Christmas overindulgence, the race hopefuls welcomed the news that the southerly change would be lighter than expected – around 10 to 15 knots.
The black-and-white photocopies of mean sea levels and pressure troughs were a quirky throwback, handed as they were to the men and women who crew some of the most high-tech yachts on Earth.
"If I had to write a forecast for us, it would be this one," said the skipper of super maxi Scallywag, David Witt.
The four super maxis were a huge drawcard for the crowds as temperatures rose into the high 20s. So were the beers and bacon-and-egg rolls sizzling on the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's barbecues.
The marinas surged with crew members carrying bundles of sails and supplies in final preparations, while a diver disappeared between the rows of yachts, cleaning the last few barnacles from their hulls.
Family and friends outnumbered the crews as they crowded the sterns before last-minute farewells.
It was the ninth time Alice Markeiwicz had wished her father, Andrew Saies, good luck as his Beneteau First 40, Two True, pulled away for the starting line. But it was the first time the skipper wished his daughter a fervent "good luck" in return.
"I'm having twins in the next four weeks," said the heavily pregnant Mrs Markeiwicz after she and her family waved off the grandfather-to-be and 2009 Sydney to Hobart overall winner.
"They'll be dad's first grandchildren, so he doesn't want them popping out while he's away," she said.
"We know what it's all about. My brother's done [the Sydney to Hobart] with dad a few times. It's still pretty exciting."
The owner and skipper of the Chinese Whisper, engineering boss Rupert Henry, said he felt no nerves as he and his crew made their final preparations before the 1pm start.
"We actually wish the race was longer," he said.
"I suppose we have as good a chance as anybody else. Maybe a little bit better," said Henry, of the JV62, which placed fifth overall in the 2015 Sydney to Hobart.
"It's going to be a spectacular start. We'll turn the corner [out of the Sydney Heads], put the spinnaker up and have a glorious afternoon of sailing."
The race could be won or lost depending how the fleet fares early Tuesday morning, Henry said.
"There's some strange, interesting weather coming through off the corner of NSW, so we'll see what happens when we move through that," he said.
Donna Hay was concentrating less on external weather factors and more on the state of the crew's bellies as she packed away a trove of snacks and hearty meals below the deck of the Beau Geste, the second yacht out of the Heads.
"My job is to keep the crew well fed," the celebrity chef said.
"There's a lot of snacks. Heaps the boys can eat on the go. I've got to make sure they can get the food in a bowl or in their mouths fast.
"Then I've got some really filling dinners. Tonight they'll have Thai chicken curry with lots of ginger to settle their stomachs," Ms Hay said.
They'll need settled stomachs, with the 80-footer set to contest the race in the Big Boat Challenge alongside Chinese Whisper, and the 100-foot super maxis.
The crowd at the CYCA gasped and cheered as Wild Oats XI, Scallywag, CQS and Perpetual Loyal jockeyed for position in the seconds before the starting gun.
Sailing tragics schooled novices as they all watched Wild Oats XI tack and gibe wildly as it weaved through competitors, while Perpetual Loyal won bragging rights as it sailed first out of the Heads.