The Sydney to Hobart is arguably the world's most famous offshore race.
The 628 nautical-mile journey down south towards Constitution Dock always produces a quality field and 2013 is no different - a fleet of 95 is set to take to the start line on Boxing Day.
A furious arms race between those chasing line honours is under way. Defending champion Wild Oats XI is spending big on engineering changes, while Loyal has shelled out on a new boat and recruited some of the world's best sailors in a brazen attempt to dislodge last year's triple crown winner, Wild Oats XI.
Loyal is the new kid on the dock and she's rumored to be the fastest. Although her skipper, businessman Anthony Bell, is trying to hose down the hype.
"We are up against the best super maxi team in the world. Wild Oats are the Ferrari of sailing sport. They run things really well," Bell says.
Last year's line honours winner Wild Oats XI should surely be the one to catch. Last year, the 100-foot super maxi smashed the race record and also took honours on corrected time. Her skipper, Mark Richards, thinks that the big spending Bell has created is a mismatch.
"It's like [Loyal is] taking an AK47 to a water pistol fight," Richards says.
That's a line Bell doesn't let last year's triple crown winner get away with. "There aren't many water pistols coming out with a new mast and DSS," he says - referring to a host of changes that the millionaire owner, Bob Oatley has invested in over the last 12 months.
With Wild Oats XI chasing a record seventh-line honours win and Bell eager to again knock Richards off his perch, the stakes are high at the fast end of the fleet. All five of the super maxi's are shelling out on big on hardware in pursuit of glory. However, it is the inclusion of London Olympic Gold medallist and America's Cup winning strategist Tom Slingsby that could prove the most telling.
"I am going to be looking at them and looking at our boat. What we can do to make little gains. Every metre we can gain. That's why I race," the 29-year old Olympian says.
For all his success at the top level of sailing, the blue water classic remains an uncharted frontier for Slingsby. But the talented strategist believes the transition won't be that big a leap.
"Initially it is a bit tricky," he said. "Getting your head around the speed. As soon as you get used to it, that's when I am looking for that little bit of extra speed than the guy next to me."
Slingsby will find out on Boxing day exactly what he is up against: the sea, the swell and an almighty champion in Wild Oats XI desperate to defend her crown.
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