He wants to rule the waves now, but supermaxi owner Jim Clark started life a long way from the ocean.

The Netscape co-founder’S imposing new yacht Comanche has been the talk of the town since it arrived in Sydney in early December.

The state-of-the-art vessel is one of the few new big racing boats built since the Global Financial Crisis and her presence has added lustre to the 70th Sydney to Hobart starting on Friday afternoon.

Clark has made no secret of his desire to win big races and smash records and the Sydney to Hobart is the first target for the boat launched just two months ago.

While many of Australia’s, and indeed the world’s, premier sailors either grew up near the water or developed an early affinity to sailing, Clark’s story is very different.

He grew up in Texas, around 500km from any large expanse of water.

“My first time at the ocean was at age 13 when my family went to Florida to visit some relatives,” Clark told AAP.

“My first time sailing was when I was 23 or 24 and the first boat I owned, I was close to 40.

“The first true race boat I’ve ever owned is this one.”

His passion for sailing developed after he spent three-and-a-half years in the American navy.

“I just grew comfortable on the ocean, I never got seasick,” Clark said.

“I spent more time on the water during those years than most sailors do. I found it very calming.”

A frequent visitor to Australia, the birthplace of his wife Kristy, Clark had the idea of owning his own big boat planted in his mind by Sydney-based New Zealand-born sailor, Neville Crichton.

Clark then revealed his intentions to leading American yachtsman Ken Read, who is now Comanche’s skipper.

“I went back after that time here two-and-a-half years ago and I told Kenny `let’s build the fastest boat that’s ever been built,'” Clark said.

“‘I’m talking about an ocean boat, I want something that will just fly.'”

While that undertaking has cost Clark many millions of dollars, he was disarmingly frank about the indulgent nature of the exercise.

“Boats of this type are sort of like building a Formula 1 car, they are expensive,” he said.

“The money you spend on it has to be expendable, because it’s not worth what you put into it as a resell thing.

“You are not going to ever get anything back from it, except enjoyment.”

He emphasised the boat hadn’t been designed specifically to win the Sydney To Hobart, but it would contest virtually all of the world’s great ocean races over the next 12 months and attempt to break a number of records, including the 24-hour speed mark.

“I do think it will break quite a few records,” Clark said.