During the storm-ravaged first night of the annual Sydney to Hobart race, two sailors tragically lost their lives in separate boom accidents. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia confirmed that one sailor each on Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline were killed after being struck by the boom, a large horizontal pole at the bottom of the sail. The deceased sailors were identified as a 55-year-old man from Western Australia and a 65-year-old man from South Australia.
Despite the devastating incidents, the race continued with one sailor from the Hobart yacht Porco Rosso being washed overboard but thankfully rescued. The emergency position-indicating radio beacon, a safety device worn by all sailors, played a crucial role in the rescue operation.
