EXCLUSIVE
One of two sailors who died on the cruise from Sydney to Hobart after being struck by a sail boom has been identified.
Nick Smith, 65, tragically died while sailing on the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron ship, Bowline, about 2am on Friday.
He was struck by the boom, a large horizontal pole at the bottom of the sail, approximately 30 nautical miles east/northeast of Batemans Bay and fell unconscious.
He was the second sailor to die in the race after a 55-year-old man from Western Australia died after also being hit by the barrier aboard the Flying Fish Arctos about two hours earlier.
Mr Smith was an experienced sailor who had competed in the Sydney-Hobart four times.
He had also participated in several yacht races around the world, including the Clipper Round the World, in which he traveled to the Whitsundays and Seattle.
Smith was on board the ship alongside Melanie Bushby, Reid Bosward, Paul ‘Banjo’ Greaves, Paul Senior, Anthony Pennington, Troy Mohler and navigator Peter Hutchinson.
Last week, Mohler shared a photo online of crew members making their journey from South Australia to Sydney before the race.
Nick Smith, 65 (pictured), is one of two sailors who died on the Sydney to Hobart.
Mr. Smith is pictured alongside other members of the Bowline crew. From left to right: Troy Mohler, Melanie Bushby, Peter Hutchinson, Reid Bosward and Nick Smith
“2,000 kilometers traveled,” he wrote. ‘We have arrived in Sydney. ‘
‘The last 48 hours have been very varied, beautiful sailing followed by 12 hours of full wind, constantly 30 knots, up to 38. We have done almost two Sydney to Hobarts to get to the start line.
“It’s been wonderful.”
The incident aboard the Flying Fish Arctos occurred about 30 nautical miles east-southeast of Ulladulla, on the New South Wales south coast, shortly before midnight on Thursday.
Crew members attempted CPR but were unable to revive their teammate.
Approximately two hours later, Mr Smith sadly passed away.
“(Police were informed that) crew members on a second yacht were administering CPR to a colleague who had also been struck by the boat’s boom,” NSW Police said.
“A short time later, officers were informed that CPR had been unsuccessful.”
The race will continue as the fleet makes its way to Constitution Dock, with the first boats expected to arrive later Friday or early Saturday morning.
Left to right: Peter Hutchison, Anthony Pennington (front), Reid Bosward (red cap), Melanie Bushby, Troy Mohler (standing back), Nick Smith (seated front), Paul Senior (standing front right) and Paul Greaves (standing back right)
“Our thoughts are with the crews, family and friends of the deceased,” the CYCA said in a statement.
“More information will be provided as it becomes available.”
Flying Fish Arctos was escorted to Jervis Bay by the New South Wales Police vessel Nemesis, while Bowline was escorted to Bateman’s Bay.
Photos show the somber crew members returning to shore Friday morning.
Cruising Yacht Club Australia commodore David Jacobs said “everyone is devastated”.
“It’s a terrible tragedy,” he added.
Sixteen ships have currently been retired from a total fleet of 104.
“Sixteen retired, three were dismasted, two suffered damage to the mainsail and the rest had various equipment failures which led them to retire,” Mr Jacobs said.
“But we still have 88 boats still in the race.”
Retirements include race favorite Master Lock Comanche, who retired due to mainsail damage.
Jacobs revealed that there was “a good story” that happened overnight.
The crew member aboard Bowline was struck approximately 30 nautical miles east/northeast of Batemans Bay and fell unconscious, and CPR was also unsuccessful (Bowline is pictured)
The incident aboard the Flying Fish Arctos occurred about 30 nautical miles east-southeast of Ulladulla, on the New South Wales south coast, shortly before midnight (the yacht’s boom is circled).
The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, which manages the iconic regatta, revealed the tragic news of the participants’ deaths in a statement on Thursday.
«On the boat Porco Rosso a person was dragged overboard. “That is one of the most terrifying experiences you can have,” he said.
“This was at 3:14 in the morning, so it was nighttime, which makes it ten times scarier.”
Jacobs revealed that the crew member had been swept away about 1.2 kilometers from the ship as rescuers scrambled to locate him.
“Fortunately, the ship from which they fell was able to recover that crew member and he is healthy and well,” he added.
Jacobs insisted the prognosis was not “extreme.”
‘There were strong winds. The forecast was for strong to hurricane-force winds,” he said.
‘These fleets can handle that stuff. They are ocean races. They are used to those winds. They were not extreme conditions.’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the deaths as “heartbreaking”.
Commodore David Jacobs of Cruising Yacht Club Australia said “everyone is devastated” by the two deaths.
Two sailors from Sydney to Hobart have died at sea amid extreme weather conditions
“The journey from Sydney to Hobart is an Australian tradition and it is heartbreaking that two lives have been lost in what should be a time of joy,” he said.
“We send our love and deepest condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.”
The tragedy has prompted calls to cancel the race or at least postpone it when the weather becomes dangerous.
The deaths come 26 years after six sailors died in storms during the tragic 1998 race, triggering a New South Wales coronial inquest and massive reforms to the safety protocols governing the race.
A west-southwest change of direction was expected to hit Bass Strait overnight, bringing winds of up to 40 knots and possible squalls, conditions that will be particularly challenging for the fleet’s smaller ships.
But even the four 100-foot supermaxi yachts are at risk of damage amid bad weather, which could define the race and force more retirements of a fleet of 101 yachts.
Drama unfolded early on as fellow supermaxi Wild Thing 100 narrowly avoided a collision with Celestial V70 before regaining its speed outside the Heads.
Wild Thing was at the center of another port incident that left leader URM Group to complete a penalty turn.
URM Group had been required to stay clear of a group of ships on its starboard side, but had difficulty doing so with the Wild Thing so close to leeward.
Just as Whisper waved a protest flag, claiming the mini-maxi had been too close, URM Group completed a penalty turn to absolve itself of the misstep.
Penalty turns for incidents taking place in port must be completed early in the race, or the offender risks receiving a time penalty upon arrival in Hobart.