The 80 Rolex Sydney Hobart edition began with a show in Sydney Bay. Under a well-set sky, the fleet made a very fast open sea exit, where they were expected to have a strong bow and sea wind, a complicated menu that they will have to manage during the first 24 hours of race on their way to Tasmania.

The fleet was distributed on four output lines according to its performance. A single signal released the 128 ships, which began their career towards Hobart by deploying their sails of porters to draw an epic image while leaving Sydney Bay at full speed. Hundreds of boats and an incalculable number of spectators on the coast acted as a wrapper for a simply epic show. Sponsored by Rolex since 2002, the race is a cornerstone of the almost 70 years of Swiss watch association with the world of sailing.

The LawConnect in which the canaries Carlos Hernández and Simbad Quiroga, a real-time winner in the last two editions, compete was the first to leave Sydney Bay, followed closely by their archirrival Master Lock Comanche (with Pablo Arrarte on board)

The two 100-foot maxis (30.5 meters) thus reedit the pulse for reaching Hobart first that starred in the last two editions, with the permission of the other colossus: SHK Scallywag 100, Wild Thing 100 and Palm Beach XI. The 27 meters Lucky, in which Juan Vila and Antonio Ñeti Cuervas- Mons compete, claimed with a magnificent exit their right to enter the bets and at the time of writing continues in the head group.

The forecast indicates that the fleet will have to face harsh conditions during the first 24 hours, followed by a decrease in intensity and subsequent favorable change in the force and direction of the wind around the third day. Tired in ocean races across the world, the Pablo Santurde cantabre relativizaba before leaving the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia: "They are hard but not radical conditions. The key is to overcome those first 24 hours without too much damage." Santurde competes with the experienced Rupert Henry in the sturdy Lombard 34 of 10.6 meters of Mistral length in category to two.

According to Alex Nolan, a defender of the Celestial title V70, the forecast is likely to favour medium and small-length ships in the struggle for general victory in compensated time. On board the Celestial V70 competes for the first time the Vigués Pablo Torrado

In the midst of the frenzy pace of departure, several participating ships threw rose petals at the sea in front of the beach of Bondi in memory of the 15 who died in the attack on December 14. A sense of tribute that is added to the memory of the two crew members who lost their lives on the first night of the race of the last edition.

The Rolex Sydney Hobart tour takes place along 628 nautical miles; between Sydney and Hobart, the capital of Tasmania. The race will end with the official award of next Wednesday, December 31.