Police are piecing together the details of the deaths of two sailors killed on separate boats in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race in challenging weather conditions.
Nick Smith, 65, and Roy Quaden, 55, died as their vessels made their way down the NSW south coast on the first night of racing.
Both were originally believed to have been hit in the head by booms, but a senior yachting figure confirmed Mr Smith was killed when he was hit by the sail’s main sheet.
The 65-year-old member of the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron and sailing veteran died on Bowline during a night of rough weather while undertaking his fifth attempt at the race.
CPR was unsuccessful, and a police vessel escorted the boat to Batemans Bay.
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia vice commodore David Jacobs described Mr Smith as “a very experienced sailor”.
“We thought he had been hit by the boom but we have now learned that wasn’t the case,’’ Mr Jacobs told reporters on Friday afternoon.
“He was hit by the mainsheet and it threw him across the boat and unfortunately he hit his head on the winch and that’s what killed him.’’
The Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron, where the sailor had been a member since 2013, said it would provide counselling to Bowline's crew and other members.
"He was a great, down-to-earth sailor," rear commodore of the squadron Owen Haskett said.
Hours earlier onboard the Flying Fish Arctos, Mr Quaden, from Western Australia, was struck in the back of the head by the boat’s boom while changing one of the sails.
The yacht requested urgent assistance and despite crewmates performing extensive CPR, Mr Quaden couldn't be revived.
The fatality occurred about 55km east-southeast of Ulladulla on the NSW south coast late on Thursday night, with the boat then heading to Jervis Bay.
The bodies of both men were returned to shore on Friday morning, and the boats involved have been seized by police.
Another 15 boats had pulled out by Friday morning after a west-southwesterly change brought strong winds to the southern NSW coast and Bass Strait.
The deaths are the first in the race since 1998, when six sailors died in storms, triggering reforms to safety protocols.
NSW Police Superintendent Joseph McNulty said all vessels in the race are subject to stringent safety procedures.
“Early investigations (suggest) that those vessels may have been changing sails at the time, so they weren’t actually sailing with the wind,” Supt McNulty said.
“That creates a whole different set of circumstances … so that may have contributed to the deaths.”
Supt McNulty warned conditions could worsen overnight as the boats continue towards Tasmania.
"It's going to be a challenging night in the Bass Strait, big seas are coming," he added.
Mr Jacobs said the CYCA would investigate the deaths, but maintained conditions were not “excessive”.
"If there’s something that boats can do to try and prevent this happening, we will implement it,” he told reporters.
Mr Jacobs stressed the race would continue and the conditions were not extreme.
"I am personally surprised that we've lost a number of the super maxis."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to the sailors.
"We have sadly awoken to tragedy in the Sydney to Hobart with the awful news two sailors have lost their lives," he said.
"Our thoughts are with the crews, their families and loved ones at this deeply sad time."
