The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia has named two sailors who died overnight during the Sydney to Hobart yacht race as 65-year-old South Australian Nick Smith, and 55-year-old West Australian Roy Quaden. Prior to the race start, warnings were issues about wild weather conditions.

Batemans Bay

The Sydney to Hobart yacht race, an esteemed event within Australian sailing traditions, has been marked by a tragic incident resulting in the deaths of two sailors. Among them was Nick Smith, a 65-year-old experienced yachtsman from South Australia, who sustained a fatal head injury. The injury was caused by a violently moving boom during challenging sea conditions. Despite attempts by the crew to administer CPR, Smith could not be saved. The loss has profoundly affected his crew members, who shared many moments at sea with him.

In a separate but similar incident, Roy Quaden, a 55-year-old navigator from Western Australia, also lost his life. The accident occurred aboard the Flying Fish Arctos near Ulladulla. Quaden's colleague expressed the inherent difficulty in maintaining safety despite taking all possible precautions. These incidents represent the first deaths in the Sydney to Hobart race in 26 years and have prompted an investigation by the race's organizers to improve safety measures further.

In addition to these tragedies, a terrifying rescue operation was conducted for Luke Watkins, a 37-year-old crew member who fell overboard during the night. Despite being washed over a kilometer away from his vessel, Watkins was successfully rescued. The incidents underscore the dangers present in yacht racing, even for experienced sailors.



Two sailors killed in Sydney to Hobart race

It's unnerving and a little heartbreaking to watch. Nick Smith on board the bowline, his final moments before setting sail, ducking underneath the boom, which would ultimately kill him. If they train together, they live together, they cook together, they do everything together, it would be devastating. This morning looking exhausted, devastated and shocked, crew were taken ashore at Batemans Bay. Another crew member was medically evacuated with a shoulder injury. Ironically, the bowline, bobbing peacefully in calmer waters. They'd all been through hell, rough seas and strong to gale force winds. But the real horror was losing their mate. The 65-year-old South Australian was hit in the head by the boom around 3.30 this morning. The crew tried, but CPR couldn't save him. The boom is part of the vessel that attaches the sail to the mast. It was moving violently through the night with challenging sea conditions. And this is even more chilling. Here, Nick's performing the tactical move perfectly, but when he did it last night, it cost him his life. Yesterday, their skipper was full of hope, unaware of what tragedy lay ahead. No, I think a lot of the forecasts for big conditions are for the big boats. If we keep coming along as we think we will, we'll probably be okay. But they weren't. In a statement, crew say today we lost a great friend and a very fine and experienced yachtsman. Having sailed thousands of miles with Nick, the skipper and crew are devastated with this loss. A few hours earlier, on board the self-proclaimed amateur yacht, the Flying Fish Arctos, unbelievably, the same thing happened near Ulladulla. This time, the victim was a 55-year-old from WA, navigator Roy Quaden. It's a tragedy, really, being very careful to just look after everybody and put safety first. But there's not a lot you can do. The Sydney to Hobart is an Australian tradition and it is heartbreaking that today Australians have awoken to the news that two lives have been lost, participating in what should be the experience of a lifetime. These are the first deaths in the race in 26 years. Now, back then, six people died and triggered a huge safety overhaul. This time around, organisers say they will have a full investigation and implement anything that may prevent this from happening again. The horror didn't end there. On the Porco Rosso, 37-year-old Luke Watkins fell overboard and was washed more than a kilometre away from the boat before being rescued. It is one of the most terrifying experiences that you can have. And this was at 3.14am, so it was at night, which makes it tenfold more scary. Amanda Hart for 10 News First.

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