The Sydney to Hobart yacht race has suffered a double tragedy after two sailors died in separate incidents.
New South Wales Police say a crew member of one Sydney to Hobart entry was struck by a sail boom just before midnight.
Fellow crew members performed CPR but they could not be revived.
About two hours later, a crew member of another yacht was also struck by a sail boom, and died.
Bowline has some inexperienced offshore sailors on board, race organisers say. (Rolex)
In a statement, race organisers Rolex, said Flying Fish Arctos was “sailing approximately 30 nautical miles (55 kilometres) east/south-east of Ulladulla when the incident occurred”.
“Fellow crew members performed CPR, but they could not revive their fellow crew.
“Bowline was approximately 30 nautical miles east/north-east of Batemans Bay and crew members administered CPR. A short time later officers from the Marine Area Command were informed that CPR had been unsuccessful.
“As these incidents are being dealt with by the Water Police and all family members are yet to be contacted, we cannot provide further details at this stage.
“Our thoughts are with the crews, family and friends of the deceased.”
Flying Fish Arctos has a “crew of trainees” on board, race organisers say.
Flying Fish Arctos is listed as “the flagship yacht in the Flying Fish offshore training fleet” with a crew of 10 plus “skipper and navigator”.
“This year’s crew will include a number of veterans from previous years, as well as an international crew of trainees competing in the race as a personal challenge.”
Bowline, has a crew of seven plus “skipper and navigator”, race listings show.
The crew “have been selected for their experience and aptitude for offshore races, some with over 40 years’ experience and others who have just begun to sail offshore, fulfilling the owner’s commitment to stimulate offshore racing programs in local water”.
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Weather tough but ‘not excessive’
Cruising Yacht Club Australia Commodore David Jacobs said “everyone’s devastated”.
“It’s a terrible tragedy.
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“The conditions are challenging, but they’re not excessive. So we’ve got sort of winds at about 25 knots coming from the north seas of round about two metres or thereabouts. So they’re conditions that most of the sailors would have would normally easily handle.
“I am personally surprised that we’ve lost a number of the super maxis.”
Commodore Jacobs said the current estimate is LawConnect will get in in one day, 11 hours which is two hours behind the race record.
PM sends condolences
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the thoughts of all Australians were with the loved ones of the two sailors who have died overnight in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.
Mr Albanese described the news as heartbreaking.
“We know that Sydney to Hobart is such an extraordinary tradition, but it is awful that we have this news that two sailors have lost their lives … and we just hope that everyone stays safe during the journey to Hobart.”
Sailor overboard rescued
Commodore Jacobs said there had been “one good story out of the race”.
“So far, we had a person overboard, which is one of the most terrifying experiences that you can face when you’re out to sea, on the boat Porco Rosso.
“That person was swept about 1.2 nautical miles from the boat, but all of the training and all of the safety systems that we’ve got kicked into place.”
He said the sailor triggered their personal location beacon and boats were “diverted to help the search”.
“Fortunately, the boat from which he went overboard was able to find him and retrieve him, and he’s well and healthy.”
Master Lock Commanche was challenging for the lead but retired due to damage. (CYCA/Salty Dingo)
Sixteen boats have now retired, including 2023 overall winner Alive and race favourite, Master Lock Comanche, which has pulled out due to main sail damage.
The super maxi, which is the race record holder, and has claimed line honours four times, was leading the race off the far south coast of New South Wales, when the team announced they were pulling out.
LawConnect, which won line honours last year by just 51 seconds from Comanche, is currently race leader.
You can follow the progress with the race’s yacht tracker or on the Marine Traffic website.
Commodore of the CYCA has spoken about the deaths of two Sydney Hobart race competitors.
40m agoThu 26 Dec 2024 at 9:44pm
Conference ends
The press conference has ended, no doubt this tragedy will play out over the rest of the 2024 race as investigations continue into how this happened.
Commodore Jacobs is addressing questions about the weather, following the two fatalities.
“The forecast was, it’s not an extreme forecast. There was strong winds. The forecast was strong winds to gale force winds. These fleets can can handle those things. They’re ocean races. They’re used to those winds. It was not extreme conditions.”
Commodore Jacobs says a sailor was rescued after falling off Porco Rosso.
“There are 16 retirements now … three were dismastered. Two had mainsail damage, … there were various equipment failures caused them to retire.
“But we still have 88 boats that are continuing in the race.
Speaking about a sailor going overboard from Porco Rosso, Commodore Jacobs says “that is one of the most terrifying experiences that you can have”.
“And this was at 3:14am, so it was at night, which makes it tenfold more scary.
The sailor was eventually picked up by Porco Rosso after a search effort was initiated by the triggering of an emergency beacon.
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