Sawt Falasteen - Sydney-Hobart yacht crews set off on gale-threatened race

Under blue, mid-summer skies, spectators crowded onto boats and lined the shore of a breezy Sydney Harbour as a starting cannon set the fleet of 104 on a dash to the open ocean.

Race crews face rough weather and big waves as they move down Australia's east coast, then tackle the notorious Bass Strait towards the Tasmanian state capital Hobart.

Weather is a critical factor in the 628-nautical mile event, first held in 1945.

Six men died, five boats sank and 55 sailors were rescued in 1998, when a deep depression exploded over the fleet in the Bass Strait.

"We are seeing strong wind warnings developing through the afternoon today and getting up to gale, so about 35 knots," meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse said in the last briefing hours before the start.

A strong south-westerly change would move across Bass Strait early on Friday morning, potentially bringing showers, lightning, thunder, and waves of up to 4.0 metres (13 feet).

In the first minutes of the race, reigning line honours champion LawConnect and rival Comanche battled for the lead as crews vied to be first out of the harbour.

"These conditions are probably the worst forecast I've ever had to go through. The odds of boat damage are obviously very high," LawConnect skipper Christian Beck said ahead of the race.

But the forecast conditions could favour LawConnect, he said.

"We've had a crew that's been together for six years. We hope our crew is our main strength. The harder it is, the more that comes to our advantage," Beck said.

- 'Boat-breaking' -

LawConnect edged Comanche to win by just 51 seconds last year, and the two 100-foot supermaxis are again expected to battle for line honours.

"It's going to be a fast and furious first night out there on our way down to Hobart," said Matt Allen, co-skipper of Comanche, a four-time line honours champion and the race record holder.

"It's probably going to be boat-breaking sort of conditions," Allen said ahead of the race. "The really small boats are really going to cop it a few times in this race."

Fellow skipper James Mayo said strategy would be key for Comanche, which surged over the finish line in one day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds to set a new mark in 2017.

"It's about keeping the boat in one piece, you know there's going to be some good rides," Mayo said.

Two other supermaxis are entered -- Wild Thing and Maritimo.

Alive, last year's overall winner of the Tattersall Cup, which takes into account boat size and other factors, will again be in contention to defend its title.

Other previous overall winners in the fleet include Centennial 7 (formerly Celestial) and Love and War.

P.Tamimi--SF-PST