Four Tauranga yachts are among the fleet of more than 120 yachts sailing in the Coastal Classic today.

Tauranga boats Frenzy, Voodoo Lounge, Fast Lane, and Arethusa are lining up against some of the country's top racers in the 119 nautical mile race from Devonport to Russell.

Two trimarans Team Australia and Team Vodafone head to head as the fleet leaves Auckland. Photo: Ivor Wilkins.

Tauranga boat Frenzy is one of four local starters. Photo: Murray de Leus.

The big multihulls TeamVodafone and Team Australia took an early position at the front of the fleet and at 1.30pm - just 3.5 hours out from the start, they had passed Sail Rock with the New Zealand-based TeamVodafone an estimated six minutes ahead of the Australian entry that arrived in the country six days ago after claiming a new trans-Tasman speed record.

The Volvo 70 Giacomo, in its first major race in New Zealand, was in third position, and the extreme catamaran Taeping, in fourth.

The front runners are expected in Russell at about 5pm tonight, but a new record time is unlikely.

Rain is expected for the fleet in the early evening, but once it passes through, the wind should ease and move to the south-west, making for a more comfortable ride, at least until Cape Brett. Four boats have retired with gear failures.

Four hours after the start most of the fleet was rounding Kawau Island heading for Cape Rodney.

Following the colourful, and often chaotic, mass start off Devonport Wharf, the Coastal Classic requires entrants to negotiate the northeastern coast past Kawau, Whangarei and Tutukaka to Cape Brett, before turning, often directly into the wind, through the outer Bay of Islands to the finish line off the town of Russell.

The course is pretty much straight line from Cape Rodney to Cape Brett, and can be a sprint or marathon, depending on the type of boat.

The largest monohull is ex-Volvo open 70 Giacomo, which has an established Tauranga connection, having spent more time on the Bridge Marina hard stand than anywhere else in the country, since its arrival off the freighter from France in mid-September.

Team Australia set a trans-Tasman record of 60 hours from Sydney Harbour Bridge to Auckland Harbour Bridge, and has also set a ratified speed record for the stretch of water between Sydney and Hobart.

Taeping, a 13.5m catamaran, won the 2007 and 2008 events, and placed third last year and is continuously updated and improved. Taeping is more than capable of hanging onto the Orma 60s downwind, but upwind the bigger boats can be twice as quick.

Yachts for Africa, the fleet starts to spread out. Photo: Ivor Wilkins.