SYDNEY, 27 December 2003 — Australian yacht Skandia led its New Zealand super maxi rival Zana out of Sydney Harbor yesterday and quickly opened a clear lead after the start of the 59th Sydney-Hobart race.

Skandia and Zana, two new state-of-the-art 30-meter (98-feet) yachts, were well ahead of most of the 57-strong fleet as they turned south in the early stages of the annual 630 nautical mile race down Australia’s east coast.

The biggest boats ever to compete in the bluewater classic, Skandia and Zana started conservatively in overcast conditions and southeasterly winds of 12-14 knots at the beginning of what was likely to be an intense tactical duel.

Skandia led Zana and the rest of the fleet of local and international yachts out of Sydney Harbor, reaching the first turning mark at the mouth of the harbor just over eight minutes after the 1 p.m. (0200 GMT) start.

The blue-hulled Skandia, owned by Melbourne property developer Grant Wharington, led Zana by about six boat lengths as the boats sailed into the wind about 30 minutes after the start.

Skandia and Zana are both only two months old and were built specifically for the grueling Sydney-Hobart, which takes competitors across the notoriously rough Bass Strait between the Australian mainland and the island state of Tasmania.

Zana’s owner, Wellington property investor Stewart Thwaites, said he was happy just to get out of Sydney Harbor and clear of the chop created by hundreds of spectator boats.

“Getting out of the heads first is a good psychological thing and all credit to Grant and Skandia for doing that, but the main thing is getting out safe,” Thwaites told Channel Ten television.

“We got out safe so I’m happy. Not as happy as I could be, but I’m still happy,” he said.

Disaster almost struck for Skandia not long after the start when it narrowly missed a collision with a spectator boat which sailed across its bow just outside the harbor.

Skandia started the race as a slight favorite ahead of the untried Zana after dominating a warm-up regatta this month.

Wharington’s boat also has a radical new canting or swing keel which can be moved when sailing into the wind and cuts down on the amount of ballast needed to keep the boat upright.

The new keel and good pre-race form appeared to work in its favor as Skandia sailed close to the wind out of Sydney Harbor. Wharington is competing in his 16th Sydney-Hobart and is attempting to claim line honors for the first time.

Many of the smaller boats, including 2000 race winner Nicorette of Sweden, raised spinnakers as they headed down the harbor in pursuit of Skandia and Zana.

The tactic worked well for Ludde Ingvall’s maxi Nicorette, which kept close to Zana in the early stages.

But the two super maxis were expected to open big leads as the fleet sailed into headwinds of up to 25 knots forecast for at least the next 24 hours.

The forecast means there will be little threat to the race record of one day 19 hours 48 minutes and two seconds set in 1999 by Danish flyer Nokia.

It also means some of the faster downwind boats such as the skiff-like Australian 20-meter boat Grundig will have little chance of catching Skandia and Zana.

Sean Langman’s Grundig started well but lost valuable time when its black spinnaker became fouled around its mast.