More entries for Around Oz Race

With just under 360 days until final entries close, there are already 261 yachts poised to circumnavigate the continent in next year's Around Australia Ocean Race and Rally.

At last count 96 yachts (80 monohulls and 16 multihulls) had entered the serious race section of the event while 164 (132 monohulls and 33 multihulls) had entered the rather more relaxed rally field.

The first group of rally yachts will start from Perth on Saturday, January 22, and head around the country in an anti-clockwise direction. The first boats in the race fleet will leave Perth on June 25 and start chasing the slower rally yachts.

Yachts can start in Perth, Esperance, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Southport, Brisbane or Hamilton Island. They will finish when they sail back into their home port but during the race and rally there should be big fleets of yachts coming together as they pass each starting point.

The race will officially finish when the last yacht home reaches Hamilton Island. Some cruising boats in the rally section are expected to take almost a year to finish their circumnavigation.

How long the fastest yachts in the race section take to finish is still anyone's guess. All the yachts can pick up and drop crew and any major port but some of the fastest racing yachts are expected to keep their core crew for the whole distance.

It is expected that the record for the fastest circumnavigation of Australia by a wind powered vessel will be set during the race.

A large number of foreign yachts are expected to enter and those coming from South East Asia will be able to start in Darwin or Broome.

Already in the BoatPoint.com.au and Boatsales.com.au listings there have been a number of aging, but still competitive, Sydney-Hobart race yachts offered for sale with the tag "perfect for the Around Australia Race and Rally".

Check out Sail Around Australia.com.au for more details on the event.