Two sailors have been killed in separate incidents in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, marking the first fatalities in the prestigious event since 1998. Race organizers and local authorities confirmed the deaths, which occurred after the crew members were struck by a sail boom, a horizontal pole used to hold the sails down that swings with the direction of the wind.
New South Wales police reported that they were notified just before midnight that a crew member of one yacht in the race was hit by the sail boom. Fellow crew members performed CPR, but the sailor could not be revived. A few hours later, another sailor on a different yacht was also struck by a sail boom and died.
Race organizers identified the two yachts involved in the incidents as Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline. David Jacobs, vice commodore at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, expressed the devastation within the sailing community, saying, “The sailing community is a very close community, and there’s about a thousand sailors on the water in this race, and to lose two in this fashion is just devastating.” He added that an investigation would be conducted to improve safety measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
Bad weather has forced several boats to retire from the 79th edition of the race, with Law Connect now leading the race. The last fatalities in the Sydney to Hobart race occurred in 1998 when five yachts were sunk, and six sailors lost their lives after a major storm hit the fleet.
