2 sailors killed amid stormy first night of Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race, organizers say

 

LawConnect competes at the start of the Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race in Sydney Harbor, Dec. 26, 2024.

Two sailors on separate boats were killed in boom accidents two hours apart on the storm-ravaged first night of the annual Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race, adding to the event\’s long history of deaths at sea.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) in Sydney, which administers the race, said Friday that one sailor each on entrants Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline were fatally struck by booms, which are the large horizontal poles at the bottoms of sails.

Officials later said a sailor was washed overboard on another boat but was rescued. That crew member was from Hobart yacht Porco Rosso, and he drifted a kilometer from the yacht before being rescued.

The incident triggered the crew member\’s emergency position-indicating radio beacon, a safety device that must be worn by all sailors in the race.

"That is one of the most terrifying experiences that you can have," said David Jacobs, vice commodore of the CYCA. "[And] it was at night, which makes it tenfold more scary."

The deaths came 26 years after six sailors were killed in storms during the 1998 running of the race, which triggered a state coronial inquest and mass reforms to the safety protocols — including the radio beacon on all sailors — that govern the race. There have been 13 fatalities in the 79-year history of the race, with four of those deaths resulting from sailor heart attacks.

The fleet was continuing its passage to Constitution Dock in Hobart, Tasmania, with the first boats expected to arrive early Saturday morning. The race is 628 nautical miles (1,160 kilometers) long.

Jacobs reiterated the race would "absolutely" continue.

"The conditions are challenging, but they\’re not excessive," he said. Winds were about 25 knots coming from the north – "conditions that most of the sailors would normally easily handle.

"The sailing community is a very close community. There\’s about a thousand sailors on the water in this race, and to lose two in this fashion is just devastating."

Just over 21 hours into the race, 87 entrants were still sailing, and 17 yachts had retired at sea.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to the sailors who died.

"We have sadly awoken to tragedy in the Sydney-to-Hobart with the awful news two sailors have lost their lives," he said. "Our thoughts are with the crews, their families and loved ones at this deeply sad time."

The incident aboard Flying Fish Arctos occurred about 30 nautical miles east-southeast of Ulladulla on the New South Wales south coast. Crew members attempted CPR but could not revive their teammate.

The crew member aboard Bowline was struck approximately 30 nautical miles east-northeast of Batemans Bay and fell unconscious, with CPR also unsuccessful.

 

By：VOA