Big fleet for Rolex Sydney-Hobart race

Bob Oatley's super maxi Wild Oats XI won't have everything her own way this year as she vies to take line honours in the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race for a record fifth time.

At least four other super maxis are expected to start in the big fleet in the 65th race on Boxing Day. When nominations closed early this week, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia announced that 116 yachts had nominate for the race -- a modest increase from the 113 that nominated last year.

Wild Oats will be challenged this year by Neville Crichton's Alfa Romeo, which has now taken line honours in a staggering 143 races around the world. Alfa Romeo's latest win was in New Zealand last week.

The other super maxis that have nominated for this year's race are Mike Slade's UK-based ICAP Leopard, Grant Wharington's Skandia Wild Thing from Melbourne and Sean Langman's New Zealand-built Maximus -- which is likely to start, after a name change, as Loyal.

Other notable yachts in the fleet will be three-times overall winner Love & War and Mike Freebairn's Spirit of Koomooloo, which will be having its 22nd start since it was launched in 1968.

Clean Up Australia boss Ian Kiernan will again sail his 1958 Tasman Seabird Sanyo Maris. Last year's overall winner, Bob Steel's TP 52 Quest, will also line up hoping to repeat last year's result.

There will be 12 international entries, from the UK, the US, New Zealand, Spain, New Caledonia and the Netherlands, as well as entries from every Australian state and the ACT.

The official list of starters will be announced by the CYCA on November 24. A fleet of 100 boats started in last year's race and 92 finished the gruelling 620 nautical mile race.

Check out the official Rolex Sydney-Hobart Yacht race website for more details.