Wild weather crossing the North Island has set back the start of the Auckland to Tauranga yacht race by several hours today.

Race start is postponed for at least six hours from 10am until 4pm because of forecast wind gusts of 60knots at the race start.

Giacomo in the Sydney Hobart race. Photo: Supplied.

The average wind strength at Bean Rock for the original start time of 10am is predicted to be 35 kts (65km/h) gusting into the 60's (60kts=111.12km/h).

With start postponed until after 4pm, winds are expected to be a more sedate 23kts average, gusting to a more manageable 35kts.

For Giacomo, the Volvo 70, widely expected to take line honours, the change to start time has put the prospect of Giacomo taking the race record more in balance.

Using the routing function of weather website Predictwind, at the original start time, Giacomo was predicted to take three and a half hours to get to Channel Island and then another four hours, sailing at an average speed of 24kts, to get to Tauranga around 5.15pm - and chopping two hours off the existing race record.

The change in race start time in more moderate conditions has pushed the record into a position of more even balance, with 30 minutes in it.

The forecast is looking pretty diabolical through till the afternoon, when it's clearing, says race director Roger Rushton in Auckland today.

'It's still slightly unpleasant, but doable, holding at fairly fresh conditions but a lot better than right now. If that model changes we can reassess.”

The weather system is heading south and is expected to be past Auckland mid mid-afternoon.

'That's what the predictions are and that's what we are going to run with.”

It means the fleet will take a bit of a pounding into the conditions across to Channel Island, with some reasonable swells expected, but things are expected to pick up once they make the turn down the Coromandel Coast.

'Once we round the corner it will be a lot more pleasant,” says Roger.

'The Tauranga guys are all looking forward to a bit of a challenge. It will be more exhilarating going down the other side.”

There are quite a few Tauranga yachts starting this year, says Roger.

Giacomo, which is built for the conditions and is the biggest monohull, is expecting to complete the race in seven to eight hours, depending on how quickly the weather system moves south.

'If the winds ease up too much they might miss out,” says Roger.

The current record is 9 hours, 35 minutes, one second set in 2004 by super maxi Zana. To beat it Giacomo has to maintain an average speed of 13.5 knots for the 120 nautical mile course.