Fancied overseas maxis Alfa Romeo and Canon Leopard established a handy lead over their Australian opposition as the Sydney to Hobart yacht fleet encountered very different conditions to those experienced on the first night of last year's race.

As darkness fell, pre-race favourite Alfa Romeo held a two nautical mile advantage over British entry Canon Leopard with Australian Skandia Wild Thing a further four miles astern.

Sweden's 2000 line honours winner and 2001 runner-up Nicorette was a further two miles back in fourth place followed by 18-metre Sydney boat Grundig which was 11 miles behind the leader.

Perennial contender Brindabella, the last fully Australian qualified boat to take line honours back in 1997, was 16 miles behind the leader with Volvo 60s Magnavox 2UE and Merit Navigator 20 miles off the lead.

At one stage, New Zealand maxi Alfa Romeo was only two miles behind the same position Nokia was at the corresponding stage when it set the existing race record in 1999.

Neville Crichton's 27-metre maxi was making 10 to 11 knots in easterly breezes of up to 15 knots.

One of the wettest starts in memory provided a stark contrast to 12 months ago when crews were surrounded by smoke and ashes generated by bushfires.

There was no sign of the twister which, on the opening evening of the 2001 race slammed Nicorette and Australian Skandia Wild Thing, nor was there any sign of the southerly busters that have periodically battered the fleet in previous years.

"It's been wet and quite cool and we're wet and smelly already and there's a long way to go," Nicorette skipper Ludde Ingvall said tonight.

"Last year this time we had winds from the west, today we've had winds from the east. Last time we were covered in smoke, this time we're covered in rain.

"The forecast was that it was going to be very unstable and it has been very unstable."

All but two of the 57 starters were still racing on the first evening.

There were no added retirements following the first-hour withdrawals of Queensland's only representative Trumpcard and one of Tasmania's two entrants, Valheru, both of which were damaged in collisions with other boats.

The early contenders for handicap honours were Quest in Division A of the IMS class and Alfa Romeo in the IRC division.

The Bureau of Meteorology forecast a short-lived and not particularly strong southerly change along the NSW south coast on Friday.

The smaller boats were expected to be frontline contenders for handicap and divisional honours with helpful northerly breezes expected in the Tasman Sea on Saturday and Sunday.

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