Starters in the 2016 Auckland to Tauranga race are inching their way across the Hauraki Gulf today hoping to round Cape Colville before dark.

Gale force north easterly winds that had organisers considering a delayed start, dropped out to nothing this morning, leaving some of the biggest fastest racing yachts on the coast creeping out of Auckland at a crawl.

A slow start means the race record survives another year.

'We've had an amazing night the wind blew its guts out last night,” says race chairman Graham Vincent today.

'It was horrendous, it was shrieking here. We decided to hold off on a race decision until this morning and by that stage the wind was dropping down significantly to a point where the race did start on time.

'Conditions that yesterday would have qualified for a no start today, down to basically a perfect start this morning is nothing short of miraculous.”

There were 21 starters today. Boats that pulled out of the race last night were Giacomo, RnB, Superbird to Cruz, Temptation III and Anarchy.

Nearly four hours after the start and Team Vodafone Sailing is leading past Waiheke at a speed of eight knots.

According to Predict Wind the second yacht, Crusader A, is travelling at 1.8 knots while managing to stay ahead of Ran Tan II following at 7 knots.

Graham thinks it will take the fleet six to seven hours to make Cape Colville.

'We have just posted some stuff to Facebook, our Facebook page is working well.

'The prediction is for it to be back up to a good 18 knots this afternoon. Nothing is out of the books.”