Details have emerged of a “terrifying” incident in which a crew member fell from yacht Porco Rosso and drifted for more than a kilometre before being rescued on a deadly night of racing, during which two sailors on other yachts were killed.
Two sailors on separate yachts, Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline, died at sea amid wild weather conditions that forced line honours favourite Master Lock Comanche to withdraw, among mass retirements.
The two sailors were fatally struck by booms – a large horizontal pole at the bottom of the sail – on their respective boats. The race’s death toll threatened to rise to three when an as-yet-unidentified crew member fell off Porco Rosso around 3.15am.
The Porco Rosso sailor was blown overboard as the yacht sailed in strong winds past Green Cape on the New South Wales coast.
“That is one of the most terrifying experiences that you can have,” said David Jacobs, vice-commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA), which administers the race. Being washed overboard at night made “it tenfold more scary”, he said.
The race will go on as the fleet continues its passage to Constitution Dock, with the first boats expected to arrive later on Friday or early Saturday morning.
The incident aboard Flying Fish Arctos occurred about 30 nautical miles east-south-east 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-north-east of Batemans Bay and fell unconscious, with CPR also unsuccessful.
One incident occurred about 11.50pm on Thursday, and the second about 2.15am on Friday, NSW police confirmed.
Jacobs said “developed systems and procedures” helped save the crew member who had been washed overboard.
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.
As a result, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) was automatically notified and contacted the race committee.
Amsa also deployed an aircraft to begin searching.
“They had, we believed, been washed about 1.2km away from the boat,” Jacobs said of the crew member.
As at 8.30am Friday, 16 yachts – from the total fleet of 104 – had retired from the race. Three had lost their masts, two had mainsail damage and the others had “various equipment failures”, Jacobs told reporters..
He described the conditions as “very challenging” but not “excessive”. Some minor injuries have also been reported.
“We’ve got winds at about 25 knots coming from the north, seas [at] 2m or thereabouts,” he said. “So they’re conditions that most of the sailors would normally easily handle.”
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Jacobs said the northerly winds had pushed the vessels down the coast, with the lead yachts travelling “extremely fast”.
“The sea was not unusually large from the information I have received,” he said. “They are likely to hit a westerly, which will turn south-westerly as they near [the] Bass Strait.”
Jacobs said the CYCA would conduct an investigation into the incidents.
The vice commodore said he was “personally surprised” a number of the super-maxi yachts had pulled out of the race, including Master Lock Comanche, URM and Alive.
“It is unusual that we get so many of the larger boats pulling out,” he said.
Speaking to the ABC from his yacht on Friday morning, LawConnect skipper Christian Beck described the conditions overnight as the “toughest I have seen”.
“We are still in pretty big seas,” he said. “The wind has dropped a little bit but it is still full-on.”
Asked if he believed it was safe for the race to continue, Jacobs said “yes, absolutely.”
Anthony Albanese said his thoughts were with the two sailors and their families.
“The Sydney to Hobart is an Australian tradition, and it is heartbreaking that two lives have been lost at what should be a time of joy,” the prime minister said in a statement.
“We send our love and deepest condolences to their families, friends and loved ones.”
Six sailors were killed in storms during the 1998 running of the Sydney to Hobart, which triggered a NSW coronial inquest and mass reforms to the safety protocols that govern the race.
