Light head winds and a 2-3 metre swell are expected to slow the 50 boats entered in this year's Auckland Tauranga race.
The favourite, Team G3, passed Channel Island at 2.11pm, with the rest of the fleet beating across the Hauraki Gulf.
"I don't think the race record's under any threat this year," says race committee chairman Ross Sheerin.

G3 has a jump on the fleet at the start of the race.

He is still expecting the French built ocean racing trimaran Team G3 to arrive overnight to take line honours.
The Easterly breeze was 3-4 knots and variable at the start. Out in the gulf the breeze was about 5-9 knots early on Thursday afternoon.
Race progress can be followed on the Steve's Marine Supplies website. Click here to see.
There are transponders on some of the yachts. The one on G3 is not working, says Ross. Neither was the one on Fully Charged at 3pm.
Transponder number:
740 9893, Team G3.
745 9223, Fully Charged, Commodore Roger Clark's racing catamaran.
745 9489 Wired, probably one of the top monohulls.
745 9192 Arethusa, Ross Currie's Birdsall 39.
745 9196 Pretty Boy Floyd, Auckland boat.
745 9182 Lucifer, fairly small catamaran.
745 9200 Sun Dreamer, 50 foot cat, the current record holder.
745 9232 Lynx, Peter Decke's Spencer 32, and one of the back markers, says Ross.
745 9213 Rigmarole, Graeme Burton's Mull 30, a bit faster than Lynx, probably the back third of the monohull fleet, says Ross.

The fleet 15 minutes into the race.