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First to get underway are the 470's, Finn, Laser and Laser Radial who are scheduled to start at 12:00 local time. The Paralympic classes, featuring the 2.4mR and the SKUD18 will start at 15:00.

Already the breeze is up from a northerly direction, which is a hot inland breeze blowing down Port Phillip Bay.

According to Predictwind.com the breeze is forecast to be around 15-16kts, based on an observation point at Melbourne Airport. But at 10:00 at the same location winds were recorded at speeds of 21kts, indicating that the breeze may well exceed the forecasts. At 10.30 a real time weather forecasting station close to the race venue was recording winds averaging 19kts and gusting 22kts - with the readings showing a drop from 21kts gusting 25kts measured at 09.00.

A key driver in the windstrength is the temperature which at 10:00 was 28°C at the airport and is expected to peak at around 35-36 degrees in the afternoon. On Tuesday the temperature is predicted to be even higher with a peak of 38 expected.

The regatta venue is directly downwind from the airport, meaning that wind predictions and observations will translate directly onto the race area. Being an offshore breeze the competitors should have flatter seas given the protection from the land with some variation from the Melbourne cityscape.

There is only a slight swing predicted in the wind, which will move from a northerly direction to a NW direction, later in the morning and stay that way for the afternoon. Around 18:00 the breeze is expected to swing to the south, which is a seabreeze, and although only 10kts is expected the temperature will drop to a more comfortable 19°C.

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