Tragic Bowline sailor killed in a freak accident on Sydney to Hobart yacht race is identified

EXCLUSIVE

One of two sailors who died on the Sydney to Hobart voyage after being struck by a sail boom has been identified.

Nick Smith, 65, was tragically killed while racing on the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron boat, Bowline, at around 2am on Friday.

He was struck by the boom, a large horizontal pole at the bottom of the sail, about 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 Western Australian man was killed after also being struck by the boom on board the Flying Fish Arctos about two hours earlier.

Mr Smith was an experienced sailor who had sailed from Sydney to Hobart four times.

He had also competed in several sailing races around the world, including the Clipper Round the World, which took him to the Whitsundays and Seattle.

Mr Smith traveled aboard the ship alongside Melanie Bushby, Reid Bosward, Paul ‘Banjo’ Greaves, Paul Senior, Anthony Pennington, Troy Mohler and navigator Peter Hutchinson.

Last week, Mr Mohler shared a photo online of crew members making their journey from South Australia to Sydney ahead of the race.

“2,000 km driven,” he wrote. ‘We have arrived in Sydney. ‘

‘The last 48 hours have been a mixed bag, beautiful sailing followed by 12 hours of full wind, steady 30 knots, up to 38. It almost took us twice from Sydney to Hobarts to get to the start line.

‘It was fantastic.’

The incident on board Flying Fish Arctos occurred shortly before midnight on Thursday about 30 nautical miles east-southeast of Ulladulla on the south-west coast of NSW.

Crew members attempted CPR but were unable to revive their teammate.

About two hours later Mr Smith sadly passed away.

“(Police were told that) crew members from a second yacht administered CPR to a colleague who had also been struck by the ship’s sail boom,” NSW Police said.

‘A short time later, officers were told that CPR had not been successful.’

The race continues as the fleet continues to Constitution Dock, with the first boats expected to arrive later on Friday or early Saturday morning.

“Our thoughts are with the crew, 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 NSW Police Vessel Nemesis, while Bowline was escorted to Bateman’s Bay.

Photos show the somber crew members coming back ashore on Friday morning.

Cruising Yacht Club Australia Commodore David Jacobs said ‘everyone is devastated’.

“It’s a terrible tragedy,” he added.

Of a total fleet of 104, sixteen boats have now been retired.

“Sixteen were retired, three were demasted, two had mainsail damage and the rest had various equipment failures that forced them to retire,” Mr Jacobs said.

“But we still have 88 boats continuing in the race.”

Retirements include race favorite Master Lock Comanche, who withdrew due to damage to the mainsail.

Mr Jacobs revealed there was “one good story” that happened overnight.

‘A person was swept overboard on the boat Porco Rosso. That’s one of the most terrifying experiences you can have,” he said.

‘This was at 3.14am, so it was at night, which makes it ten times scarier.

Mr Jacobs revealed the crew member had washed up about 1.2km away from the boat as rescue crews rushed to locate them.

“Luckily the boat they fell from was able to retrieve the crew member and they are healthy,” he added.

Mr Jacobs emphasized that the forecast was not ‘extreme’.

‘There was a strong wind. The forecast was strong winds to gale force winds,” he said.

“These fleets can handle those things. They are ocean races. They are used to that wind. These were not extreme circumstances.’

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the deaths as “heartbreaking.”

“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 their families, friends and loved ones.”

The tragedy has led to calls for the race to be canceled or at least postponed if there is treacherous weather.

The deaths come 26 years after six sailors died in storms during the tragic 1998 race, which led to a NSW coronavirus investigation and massive reforms to the safety protocols governing the race.

A west-southwesterly change in Bass Strait was expected overnight, with winds up to 40 knots and possible showers – conditions that will be particularly challenging for the smaller boats in the fleet.

But even the four 30-metre supermaxi yachts risk damage from the wild weather, which could define the race and lead to more retirements in a fleet of 101 yachts.

The drama unfolded early on as fellow supermaxi Wild Thing 100 narrowly avoided a collision with the Celestial V70 before regaining her speed from the Heads.

Wild Thing was at the center of another incident in the harbor that saw the leading URM Group complete a penalty turn.

URM Group had to stay clear of a group of boats on the starboard side, but had difficulty doing so because Wild Thing was so close to the leeward side.

Just as Whisper flew a protest flag claiming the mini-maxi had been too close, URM Group completed a penalty lap to clear itself of the misstep.

Penalties for incidents that occur in port must be completed early in the race or the offender will face a time penalty upon arrival in Hobart.