The 285-nautical mile race along Tasmania's rugged North and East Coasts starts from Beauty Point at 9.30am on Saturday with a fleet of 24 yachts competing.

Footloose is one of Southern Tasmania's best performing small yachts, with Geeves being awarded the Bennetto Medal for offshore racing at Yachting Tasmania's annual awards.

However, last year's Launceston to Hobart was one he would cheerfully forget in which the Young 88 class yacht and her crew experienced almost every kind of condition, but battled on to finally finish, albeit last in fleet.

Shortly after the start, Footloose became stuck on a mudbank for eight hours, before struggling against the incoming tide to clear the river.

Geeves, a member of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania and the Geilston Bay Yacht Club, was not giving up, even though the rest of the fleet was already 30 nautical miles ahead.

Footloose ran into adverse tides in Banks Strait and was becalmed for several hours north of St Helens.

Then came a spectacular spinnaker run south, enabling Footloose to close up on the fleet, only to sail into gale force headwinds north of Tasman Island and in Storm Bay.

As most of the fleet ran for shelter on the East Coast, Geeves and his small crew kept plugging away to finally cross the line in Hobart weary, thirsty and hungry after nearly three and a half days at sea.

Footloose is owned by Geeves and Kaye Roberts, the boat's offshore record including being overall winner of the 2010 Launceston to Hobart, winner of the AMS division in the 2010 Maria Island Race and 2014 Bruny Island Race.