Australian sailing legend Syd Fischer has moved back into the maxi ranks by chartering last year's Sydney to Hobart line honours winner Investec Loyal for this year's race.

The boat, which finished second across the line in 2010 and fourth in 2009, will sail under the name of Ragamuffin Loyal.

Fischer, 85, has campaigned a number of boats called Ragamuffin over several decades and will contest his 44th Sydney to Hobart.

He took line honours in 1988 and 1990 and was overall winner in 1992 on a previous Ragamuffin, which was a maxi.

His most recent Ragamuffin, a TP 52 boat, finished third overall and 10th across the line in the 2011 Sydney to Hobart.

However, he plans to sell that boat and has opted to sail south on one of the genuine line honours contenders for this year's race.

"It was an opportunity," Fischer told AAP of his decision to charter Investec Loyal.

"The TP is a very good boat and we just thought a change would be good."

In recent years, Investec Loyal has been known for having various sporting and entertainment celebrities aboard for the Hobart race.

Fischer said that a few would be probably be on the boat this year.

Ragamuffin Loyal is expected to be one of at least four maxis in this year's race.

Five-time line honours winner Wild Oats XI, which reached Hobart second in 2011, will be back for another crack.

Lahana, which was third across the line in both 2010 and 2011, will return, along with Grant Wharington's Wild Thing, the 2003 line honours victor, when she was known as Skandia.

Likely handicap fancies already entered are last year's winner Loki and three-time overall champion Love & War.

The fleet is set to include a first contestant from Lithuania, the Volvo 60 Ambersail, skippered by Simonas Steponavicius.

The boat has already contested several major regattas, including the RORC Caribbean 600, Transatlantic, Rolex Fastnet and Rolex Middle Sea races.

Other nations set to be represented this year include Japan, Hong Kong and New Zealand.

Organisers are anticipating a lineup of around 90 boats, which is in line with fleet sizes of recent years.