Two sailors on separate boats died in boom accidents two hours apart on the stormy opening night of the annual Sydney to Hobart race, marking the event's longest at-sea fatality. The history of has increased.
The Australian Cruising Yacht Club in Sydney, which runs the yacht race, said on Friday that one sailor from contestants Flying Fish Arktos and Bowline were struck by the boom, a large horizontal pole at the bottom of the sail. announced that he had died.
New South Wales Police Superintendent Joe McNulty said the two crew members who died were a 55-year-old man from Western Australia on the Flying Fish Arktos and a 65-year-old man from South Australia on the Bowline. It was determined that there is.
He said the crews of both boats, which were seized by police for evidence, “are being dealt with quite harshly at the moment.”
“Police, doctors and counselors are talking to them. They are assisting us with our enquiries. They are shaken by what they saw… and they have not given up. ”
Officials later announced that one sailor was swept overboard by another vessel but was rescued. The crew, from the Hobart yacht Porco Rosso, drifted a kilometer away from the yacht before being rescued.
The incident activated the crew's emergency locating radio beacon, a safety device that all sailors participating in the race must wear.
“It's one of the most horrifying experiences a human being can go through,” said CYCA Lieutenant General David Jacobs. “(And) it was night, so it was ten times more scary.”
The deaths came 26 years after six sailors were killed in a rainstorm during the 1998 race. The incident led to a state investigation of weddings and funerals and major reforms to safety protocols, including radio beacons for all sailors managing the races.
There have been 13 deaths in the 79-year history of the race, four of them from heart attacks in sailors.
The fleet continues to sail to Constitution Dock in Hobart, Tasmania, with the first boats expected to arrive early Saturday morning.
The race is 628 nautical miles (722 miles, 1,160 kilometers) long.
Jacobs reiterated that the race “absolutely” continues.
“The situation is tough, but not excessive,” he said. “That means winds of about 25 knots coming from the north sea at about 2 meters or so, conditions that are normally easily manageable for most sailors.”
“The sailing community is a very close-knit community. There are around 1,000 sailors on the water in this race, so to lose two in this way is truly devastating.”
Just over 24 hours into the race, 85 participants were still underway and 19 yachts had been retired at sea or in port.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to the sailors who died.
“We were sadly awakened to the tragedy with the terrible news that two seafarers lost their lives on the voyage from Sydney to Hobart,” he said. “Our thoughts are with the crew, their families and loved ones at this very sad time.”
The incident on the Flying Fish Arktos occurred approximately 30 nautical miles east-southeast of Ulladulla on the New South Wales south coast. The crew attempted CPR, but were unable to revive his teammate.
Bowline's crew was struck approximately 30 nautical miles east/northeast of Batemans Bay and lost consciousness, with CPR unsuccessful.
CYCA said in a statement: “These incidents are being dealt with by water police, but as we have not yet been able to contact all family members, we are unable to provide further details at this stage.” “Our thoughts are with the crew, families and friends of the deceased.”
The 50-foot Flying Fish Arctos, based in New South Wales, has competed in the last 17 Hobarts since it was built in 2001. The boat was designed for sailing around the world and is currently used by Flying Fish, a sailing school operating in Hobart. Mosman is a suburb on Sydney's North Shore.
For the first time, 15 all-Filipino sailors participated in the 2024 race, but some had to retire due to weather. Centennial 7, commanded by veteran sailor Ernesto Echos, is one of six international participants, including sailors from the Philippine National Team and the Philippine Navy.
Last year, Low Connect took line honors after defeating defending champion Comanche by less than a minute in an exciting finish between supermaxis. LawConnect, who had finished second in the last three races, finished the day in 19 hours, 3 minutes, and 58 seconds. Comanche's time was 19 hours, 4 minutes, and 49 seconds, a difference of just 51 seconds.
Comanche, who retired from this year's race, holds the one-day race record of 9 hours, 15 minutes, 24 seconds, which he set when he won in 2017.
Roconnect was leading this year's race after leaving Sydney Harbor on Thursday, but still had about 150 nautical miles to go before reaching Hobart. This could mean an overnight closure of the main yachts early Saturday morning. Celestial V70 took second place approximately 20 nautical miles behind LawConnect.
