Organizers said Friday that two Sydney to Hobart sailors have died at sea amid wild weather conditions that forced line honors favorite Master Lock Comanche to withdraw among mass retirements.

Two sailors died after being struck by sail booms in separate incidents during the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race as crews grappled with treacherous conditions across the notorious Bass Strait.

Two sailors have been killed in separate incidents in the treacherous Sydney to Hobart yacht race, officials said on Friday, as a string of yachts retired in powerful winds and high seas.

Champagne corks often pop and loud, boisterous cheers are usually heard around Constitution Dock when the Sydney to Hobart line honors winner finishes in the Tasmanian state capital.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney said Friday that one sailor each on entrants Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline were killed after being struck by the boom, a large horizontal pole at the bottom of the sail.

Australian yacht Celestial V70 won the overall trophy for the Sydney to Hobart yacht race on Sunday after a blustery race overshadowed by the deaths of two sailors.

There have been plenty of “firsts” in the history of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race which was first held in 1945.

Two sailors died in separate boom accidents during the first night of the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race, marking the event's first fatalities in 26 years.

Sydney to Hobart organisers are hoping to hold tributes to the two sailors who died at sea on the opening day of the 2024 yacht race.

The historical Sydney Hobart Yacht Race kicked off earlier this week. For 78 years, the renowned race has piqued the interest of dedicated sailors from all over. The 2024 turnout was no different, although the race tragically took the lives of two skilled men when they were killed by a sail boom,

LawConnect took line honours at the Sydney to Hobart race for a second straight year in a race marred by the deaths of two sailors