Organizers said Friday that two sailors sailing from Sydney to Hobart died at sea amid wild weather that forced several retirements, including first-place favorite Master Lock Comanche.
The race will go ahead as the fleet continues its journey to Constitution Dock in Hobart, with the first boats expected to arrive late Friday or early Saturday morning. The race is 628 nautical miles (722 mi, 1,160 kilometres) long.
The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney, which runs the regatta, said one sailor each from the Flying Fish Arctos and Bowlin died after being hit by a large horizontal pole under the sail.
The incident on board the flying fish Arctos occurred approximately 30 nautical miles east-southeast of Ulladulla on the south coast of New South Wales. Crew members attempted CPR but could not revive their partner.
The crew member aboard the Bowlin was struck and rendered unconscious about 30 nautical miles east-northeast of Batemans Bay, with CPR also unsuccessful.
A police cruiser was escorting Bowlin to Batemans Bay, where he was expected to arrive Friday morning.
“As these incidents are being dealt with by water police and all family members have not yet been contacted, we cannot provide further information at this stage,” CYCA said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the staff, family and friends of the deceased.”
The New South Wales-based 50-foot-long flying fish Arctos has competed in the last 17 Hobarts since being built in 2001. The boat was designed for sailing around the world and is currently used by Flying Fish, a sailing school that operates here. Mossman, a suburb on Sydney’s north shore.
These deaths came 26 years after six sailors died in a storm during the 1998 race, leading to a state coronial inquest and massive reforms to the safety protocols governing the race.
The first all-Filipino crew of 15 sailors was scheduled for the 2024 race, but about 15 sailors retired due to weather. Led by veteran sailor Ernesto Echauz, Centennial 7 was one of six international entrants and included sailors from the Philippine national team and the Philippine Navy.
Last year, Locknock was the first to cross the finish line after holding off defending champion Comanche by less than a minute in a thrilling finish among the super maxis. Lauknecht, who had been runner-up in the three previous editions of the race, finished in 1 day, 19 hours, 3 minutes, 58 seconds. Comanche’s time was 1 day, 19 hours, 4 minutes, 49 seconds – a difference of only 51 seconds.
This was the second closest finish in Sydney to Hobart history after Bermuda’s Condor defeated Apollo by seven seconds in 1982.
Comanche holds the race record of 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, 24 seconds, which she won in 2017.
Locknect, which left Sydney Harbour, was the front-runner in the 2024 race but still had 400 nautical miles to go before reaching Hobart, prompting an overnight finish. Celestial V70 was in second place, about 10 nautical miles behind Locknect.