Yachting: NZ ocean race could boost Sydney Hobart

Sydney to Hobart officials are hoping a major ocean race planned for New Zealand will help entice more top quality boats to their own event.

The fleet for this year's race starting on Boxing day stands at 88, one more than headed south in 2010.

The costs of building a new supermaxi and bringing any size of boat to Australia has limited the contingent of overseas entrants this year to seven.

Cruising Yacht club of Australia commodore Garry Linacre believes the race for New Zealand, scheduled to start in 2013, could help attract more overseas entrants,by giving them two major southern hemisphere events to shoot for.

He said the CYCA had already been talking to the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and some kiwi businessmen about the mooted event, which would span around 600 nautical miles.

"We are working with the Kiwis at the moment, who are looking at bringing in an iconic race that is timely to involve yachts coming from the northern hemisphere to our race," Linacre said.

"Then have the extra incentive of what looks like it's going to be a pretty special yacht race when it develops in a couple of years time in New Zealand.

"We're doing everything we can to help them and consulting them with regard to that event, because I could see that if there were two iconic ocean races in the southern hemisphere within a month of each other in the future that would be a major thing.

"It's being called the Bay to Bluff race, It initially involves doing basically a figure of eight, starting at the Bay and finishing at the Bluff down south.

"They are doing a lot of the planning work for it two years out really and it sounds like it will be a pretty exciting race.

"The timing of it is for a February race. If an owner can bring a boat out and do two significant races in a period of time with relatively easy air access, I would see it as being a huge drawcard to help (our race).

"We don't need huge numbers. We are looking to get two or three more boats to bring some interest to what is an already pretty spectacular fleet, so think it's quite an exciting development."