The Sydney to Hobart's race briefing began with a minute's silence for the two sailors who died in last year's event, and ended with indications the fatal conditions will not repeat in 2025.
Nor is the race record expected to be broken this year as upwind conditions and a lighter finish spell a tighter contest for the six 100-foot supermaxis chasing line honours.
Wednesday's mandatory briefing from the Bureau of Meteorology predicted the 129 starters will face strong southerly winds of up to 25 knots after leaving the Sydney Heads on Boxing Day.
Those winds are likely to slacken across the NSW and Tasmanian coasts across December 27th and 28th as a high-pressure system hovers around the Apple Isle.
The fleet has still been warned there is the possibility of strong winds down the coast, as well as a slight chance of showers at the start.
The first night of racing will be rough going.
"It's going to be cold, wet and bumpy, people will get seasick,'' said chairman of the race committee Lee Goddard.
But the forecast remains a far cry from 2024, when boat-breaking conditions came to fruition on the first night of racing and two lives were lost in storms.
Wednesday's weather briefing at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia began with a minute's silence in memory of Nick Smith and Roy Quaden, the two sailors who died aboard separate yachts last year.
Their deaths were the race's first since 1998 and have triggered changes to the Hobart's safety protocols for 2025.
Among these, all sailors must wear personal locator beacons and 50 per cent of each boat's crew, as well as the person in charge, must have been on board for the boat's qualifying race.
Mark Richards, skipper of nine-time line honours champion Palm Beach XI - formerly known as Wild Oats XI - felt the fleet was in as safe hands as possible.
"It was a tragic situation (last year) but like sport, motorcar racing or whatever, it does happen," said Richards.
"The one thing the CYC has been amazing at, and probably world-leading, is they keep pushing the bar in safety levels and I think that's the best we can do."
CYCA Commodore Sam Haynes said the sailors would remain front of mind from Boxing Day.
"This will be something that is very much on our minds, and the families of these two sailors," said Haynes, who is also the skipper of reigning overall winner Celestial V70.
LDV Comanche, now sailing as Master Lock Comanche, set the current race record of one day, nine hours, 15 minutes, 24 seconds in 2017.
But strong downwind conditions would be required for that mark to be bested, and those are not forecast this year.
"The race record is definitely off the table this year, by a fair margin, I would've thought," said Comanche co-skipper Matt Allen.
Misadventure aside, Comanche is almost unbeatable in heavy, downwind conditions, but the lighter forecast looks to have evened the playing field.
Upwind racing and changes in the weather will favour back-to-back reigning line honours champion LawConnect, which is much heavier than Comanche.
Owner Christian Beck was his sardonic self when asked whether LawConnect were eyeing only the fourth line honours "three-peat" in Hobart history.
"The Sydney to Hobart is the only sport in the world where a shitbox has been winning for the last two years," Beck said.
But LawConnect's rivals aren't so sure.
SHK Scallywag 100 skipper David Witt made a snoring sound during Beck's comments at the line honours press conference, with Allen also skeptical.
"LawConnect is a really good boat upwind and probably a better boat than us in the really light stuff that we'll get later on in the race," Allen said.
"It's going to be really on for line honours. With these weather conditions, LawConnect is not a shitbox."
