Sydney Hobart stalwart Bob Steele rates this year's fleet as the best in the race's history.
Steel has contested the event on 20 occasions, winning overall honours in 2002 and 2008 in different boats called Quest.
Much has been made about the big end of the fleet with four previous line honours-winning supermaxis lining up.
Steel emphasised there was quality across all areas of the 102-boat fleet.
"I'm saying to anyone that is prepared to listen this is the best quality fleet ever to sail in the Hobart race and no one that I've spoken to denies that," Steel told AAP on Saturday.
"All the yachts that are in it from the big yachts to the smallest.
"You can see the guys that have got the tiny little boats like (the 34-foot) Komatsu Azzuro, they are in it to win it and they will do very well."
In one of the more interesting quirks of this year's race, Steel is skippering his last Quest, aTP52 which he sold to media personality Paul Clitheroe, whose son is getting married around the time of the race.
He's been given a hard act to follow, with Clitheroe taking overall honours in 2015 and winning IRC division 1 last year.
"He (Clitheroe) set me up (to fail)," Steel quipped at a media conference.
"He's won division 1 and an overall in the last two years, so three times would be a miracle; it would be setting up a race record in that particular class of division 1.
"I guess he's smarter than I am, because he knows and I think he said something about his son getting married.
"I have a suspicion that he told his son to get married on that day so silly old Bob Steel could take the fall."
Steel said it was fantastic to see his old boat, renamed Balance, win in 2015 -- seven years after he achieved the feat in the same yacht.
"If we win this Hobart then I'll have to go again next year to defend the title, won't I?, I'll tell Paul that," Steel said.
An Australian Admirals' Cup representative, Steel has experienced both highs and lows over the course of his Sydney Hobart campaigns.
His 42-footer was declared the provisional winner of the 1995 race but Terra Firma was later confirmed as the victor.
His first Hobart win in 2002 was on a 47-foot boat.
But Steel has also failed to finish on two occasions.
"They are the ones you want to forget immediately." he said.
