Two crew members tragically lost their lives during the iconic Sydney to Hobart yacht race, as the event faced severe weather conditions and dangerous circumstances at sea.
Tragedy Strikes Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race with Two Fatalities
Tragedy Strikes Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race with Two Fatalities
The annual sailing competition is marred by separate accidents leading to the loss of two crew members.
In a grim turn of events at the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race, two crew members have died in separate incidents, according to local police reports. Both fatalities were attributed to blows from a boom, the horizontal pole connected to the bottom of sails. These incidents involved the vessels Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline.
The race, which kicked off on Thursday, has seen some boats withdraw due to adverse weather, while the first arrivals in Hobart, Tasmania, are expected later today or Saturday morning.
Authorities indicated that the Australian Maritime Safety Authority alerted New South Wales (NSW) police regarding the first incident shortly before midnight on Thursday. About two hours later, at 02:15 Friday, police were notified that crew members aboard the second vessel were performing CPR on the injured person, but unfortunately, they too could not be revived.
Flying Fish Arctos was operating approximately 30 nautical miles east-southeast of Ulladulla, while Bowline was positioned about the same distance east-northeast of Batemans Bay. The race organizers expressed their condolences in a statement, emphasizing their thoughts were with the crews, families, and friends of those affected.
This is not the first time this storied race has experienced fatalities; since its inception in 1945, the event has claimed lives, notably during a 1998 storm that led to the deaths of six participants, including British Olympic yachtsman Glyn Charles.
