Two sailors were killed in two separate accidents during the Sydney-Hobart sailing race in Australia, organizers announced. The two crew members, on board the Flying Fish boats Arctos and Bowline, were struck by the boom while they were off the coast of New South Wales on Friday (Thursday in Europe) after leaving from Sydney.
The favorite ship, Comanche, was also forced to abandon this race of more than 1000 kilometers which links Sydney to Hobart on the island of Tasmania, via the Bass Strait.
The other crew members attempted to resuscitate their teammates, without success. “These accidents are under investigation by the maritime police and all family members have yet to be contacted, so we cannot provide further details,” race management said in a brief statement.
Strong winds and rough seas were forecast for this race of some 630 nautical miles which has taken place since 1945 in the south-east of Australia. Of the 104 ships at the start, 7 have already been forced to abandon, said the organizers, including the favorite Comanche which had set a record for the event in 2017 in 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes and 24 seconds.
In 1998, six sailors were killed and five boats sank while 55 participants had to be rescued when a hurricane hit the race.
