The sixtieth Brisbane to Gladstone yacht race fleet will encounter light south east winds when her Excellency the Governor of Queensland Quentin Bryce fires the start signal off Shorncliffe at 11am today.

There was hardly a white cap to be seen when the full moon slipped below the western horizon as first light of dawn shone on Moreton Bay this morning.

Surprisingly the boisterous South East breeze which has tormented the exposed Queensland coast beaches with gale strength wind since early January had fell away overnight leaving the skippers, navigators and tacticians of the 64 yachts to revise their race strategy to include a light wind start possibly under spinnakers.

A colourful spinnaker start will only be determined by the soft 10 knot southerly surviving the sea breeze influence from the 6 knot headwind sailing Northerly recorded at Cape Moreton this morning.

Variable light winds prevailed over the entire 308 nautical mile course with an 11 knot southerly recorded in the port of Gladstone while a 13 knot South East wind blew at Double Island Point.

As expected the light wind forecast which is expected to last until the leading yachts clear the Fairway Buoy off Caloundra this afternoon will place a record challenge on hold.

However if the breeze freshens earlier than expected it will assist the defending line honours champion the Matt Allen skippered Ichi Ban to improve her boat speed to possibly challenge the race record overnight.

Her Navigator Will Oxley has posted the target time of 7-24-50 in the log book leaving the experienced crew of super fast Sydney sloop which has the speed potential to reach 33 knots to make the most from the breeze that blows over her deck to beat the present 20 hour 24 minute 50 second record set in 2004 by Grant Wharington’s super maxi Skandia.