Bowline was one of two yachts to retire on the first night of the race due to a death on board. (Credit: Richard Bennett)
In short:
The first night of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race was marred by tragedy, with two competitors killed in separate accidents.
The Yacht Club of Australia identified the two men as Nick Smith, 65, of South Australia, and Roy Quaden, 55, of Western Australia.
It was the first death on the Sydney-Hobart route since 1998.
The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia has released the names of the two sailors who died in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race: South Australian Nick Smith, 65, and Western Australian Roy Quarden, 55.
These people died in different incidents.
Mr Quaden, who was travelling on the Flying Fish Actoros, died after being hit by the yacht’s mast.
Mr Smith has been a member of the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron since 2013 and this was his fifth Sydney to Hobart race, on board Bowline.
Yacht Club of Australia vice-commodore David Jacobs said it was initially suspected that Mr Smith had also been hit by the boom, but he was in fact struck by the yacht’s mainsheet and thrown over the other side of the boat.
He said: “Unfortunately, he hit his head on the winch and died.
Commodore Jacobs said both ships were safely at port and support had been provided to the families of Mr Quarden and Mr Smith.
Commodore Owen Heskett of the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron said Mr Smith was an “experienced ocean-going sailor”.
“I have had the pleasure of racing with Nick on other boats and he is an excellent and down to earth sailor,” Mr Heskett said.
This morning’s death is the first on the Sydney to Hobart route since 1998.
‘Uncomfortable’ weather conditions
Aboard the Wild Thing 100, racing from Sydney to Hobart, skipper Grant Wharington gave a vivid picture of the weather conditions.
“It’s very uncomfortable here,” Mr Warrington said in a video posted to social media on Friday morning”.
“It was very noisy with lots of waves,” he said.
“It was almost impossible to get to the bathroom, and people in the bunks wanted to sleep, but no one could.”
Wild Thing nearly fell during the first hour of this year’s race. (Image credit: Rolex / Salty Dingo)
Sydney to Hobart sailor ‘lucky to be alive’ after overnight rescue
In the photo, a man with strawberry blonde hair stares thoughtfully at the ground.
Sailor Luke Watkins spent 45 minutes in the water during the Sydney to Hobart yacht race when he was thrown overboard in the early hours of Friday morning.
Just after 3 a.m., a crew member from the Red Pig was also washed overboard, but rescuers found him 1.2 nautical miles from the ship.
Three other boats were retired due to “broken masts” and two more were out of the race due to damaged mainsails.
Vice Commodore Jacobs said wind conditions were consistent with the strong winds forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology, adding that the vessels were built to handle those winds.
“They are ocean sailors. They are used to winds like this. The conditions are not extreme,” Mr Jacobs said.
Rescue crews respond to the scene of the Flying Fish Arctos moored in Batemans Bay, New South Wales. (ABC News)
Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) forecaster Stephen Stefanac said it was impossible to know how strong the gusts the crew experienced while on the water, but gusts of up to 80km/h were detected at Gab Island just before 4am.
80 km/h is considered strong wind, and only 10 km/h away from gale.
“The winds were pretty strong .. that’s indicative of the type of winds that are out there,” he said.
“When we see the winds are pretty strong along the coast, we’re pretty sure they’re going to be stronger offshore.”
View image of The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is widely regarded as one of the toughest yacht races in the world. (Credit: Andrea Francolini)
Mr Stefanak said the maximum wave height of 5 metres in Batemans Bay also showed “there are big waves there”.
“It’s normal for the waves to be that high in these conditions, but most of the time we don’t have winds that strong there,” he said.
Conditions ‘toughest I’ve seen’
Before the race began, the captains of the three SuperMaxis boats vying for course honors prepared for the bad weather.
“This is probably the worst weather forecast I’ve ever experienced,” said Christian Beck, the defending champion LawConnect skipper.
“The chances of damage to the vessel are obviously very high.”
Captains brace for wild Sydney to Hobart weather
Photo shows Christian Beck, the owner and captain of LawConnect, being interviewed by the media
The Sydney to Hobart fleet was preparing to sail quickly for a wild first night at sea with a high probability of vessel damage.
Mr Baker said Friday morning that the situation had gone as he expected.
“This is the toughest I’ve ever seen. The winds were really strong and the sea conditions were pretty calm,” he said.
“And we’re still in pretty big waters.”
LawConnect’s main competitor for course honors, Master Lock Comanche, was leading the race but retired due to a damaged mainsail.
The Master Lock Comanche suffered damage to its mainsail, leading to its retirement. (Getty Images: Brendon Thorne)
Before the race, Comanche had hoped that a strong northeasterly wind early in the race would allow it to break the race record, but co-skipper James Mayo had his sights set on another goal.
“Our mission is to get the ship to its destination intact and hopefully be the first to get there,” he said Tuesday.
His co-skipper Matt Allen also stressed the importance of being able to cope with changing weather conditions.
“People don’t normally sail in these conditions, so you’re not quite sure what parts are going to stay intact and what parts are going to break off, and the speed is going to be very fast,” Allen said.
“It’s going to be challenging.”
The Porco Rosso was decommissioned after a passenger fell overboard and drifted 1.2 nautical miles from the ship. (Image credit: Bow Caddy Media)