Melbourne to Osaka starts

Sunday March 17 marked  the moment all Australian and international crews in the 2013 Melbourne to Osaka Double-Handed Yacht Race have been waiting for.

The first of three groups of yachts met the starter at Portsea Pier at 1:30pm.

The first two yachts to Enter Bass Strait were the Japanese entry Southern Cross from the Osaka Hokko Yacht CLub and Escapade from Melbourne.

The second and largest group will start this coming Sunday, March 24, at 10:30am. This will be the most closely contested division.

The third start will be for the highly-rated 66-footer Gusto, which will start on Thursday March 28.

The starts are staggered to allow all boats to finish at about the same time. The three starts reflect the performance of each of the boats, with the fastest starting last.

"Competitors are primed and ready to race," said organiser and former competitor, George Shaw.

Ahead of the yachts and crews will be the toughest, most extreme race to start from Australian waters -- up to six weeks of non-stop, two-handed sailing in conditions which rival any ocean race in the world.

"After two years preparation, a 5,500nm battle is about to begin," Mr Shaw said.

"Crews are also going to be asked to nominate the order the yachts will finish. This will give an interesting perspective of how each boat views its competition," Mr Shaw said.

In contrast to other races, like the Sydney-Hobart, all yachts and crews must clear customs at Sandringham Yacht Club early on the Saturday before their start.

Each yacht must be crewed by only two people.

"Many are asking who will lose the most weight. In every race crews lose weight and many lose over 10kg during the M2O," said Mr Shaw.

For more information and to follow the race on the tracker, go to: http://www.melbourneosaka.com/