Organisers of Lyttelton's Sail GP regatta are expecting record breaking crowds

The race is returning to the south for the second year in a row, after Auckland's Waitemata Harbour was ditched due to spectator facility issues.

The event is set to be the world's largest-ever ticketed sailing event - with 22-thousand spectators expected across the weekend, plus more on-water spectators.

Fifteen-thousand tickets have been sold so far.