Eerie footage surfaces of tragic sailor doing the tricky move that killed him in a freak accident on the Sydney to Hobart yacht race – as his shocked crewmates relive the horror to police
EXCLUSIVE
One of the two sailors who died in the Sydney to Hobart after being struck by a sail boom has been identified.
Nick Smith, 65, was tragically killed while racing on Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron’s boat, Bowline, around 2am on Friday.
He was struck by the boom, a large horizontal pole at the bottom of the sail, approximately 30 nautical miles east/north-east of Batemans Bay and fell unconscious.
According to police, the vessel was moving down wind, which requires a zig-zag maneuver through the ocean called jibing – where the boom sweeps across the deck with every change of direction.
It is understood Mr Smith was operating the ropes, which help allow the sail to change direction, when he was struck.
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 onboard the Flying Fish Arctos around two hours earlier.
Mr Smith was an experienced sailor who had competed in the Sydney to Hobart four times.
Nick Smith, 65, (pictured) is one of the two sailors who passed away in the Sydney to Hobart
Mr Smith is pictured alongside other crew members of Bowline. Left to right: Troy Mohler, Melanie Bushby, Peter Hutchinson, Reid Bosward, and Nick Smith
He had also participated in various yachting races worldwide, including the Clipper Round the World, which saw him travel to the Whitsundays and Seattle.
Mr Smith was travelling onboard the vessel alongside Melanie Bushby, Reid Bosward, Paul ‘Banjo’ Greaves, Paul Senior, Anthony Pennington, Troy Mohler, and navigator Peter Hutchinson.
Footage posted online in late November shows Mr Smith winching the ropes onboard the Bowline for the Hay Stack Island Race in Adelaide.
Last week, Mr Mohler shared a photo online of the crew members making their journey from South Australia to Sydney ahead of the race.
‘2,000 kms done,’ he wrote. ‘We have arrived in Sydney. ‘
‘The last 48 hours were such a mixed bag, some beautiful sailing following by 12 hours of full on wind, consistently 30 knots, up to 38. We’ve done almost two Sydney to Hobarts to get to the start line.
‘Has been a blast.’
The incident aboard Flying Fish Arctos occurred around 30 nautical miles east-south east of Ulladulla on the NSW south coast shortly before midnight on Thursday.
Crew members attempted CPR but could not revive their teammate.
Around two hours later, Mr Smith sadly passed away.
‘(Police were told that) crew members from a second yacht were administering CPR to a colleague who had also been struck by the vessels sail boom,’ NSW Police said.
‘A short time later officers were informed that CPR had been unsuccessful.’
The race will continue as the fleet continues its passage to Constitution Dock, with the first boats expected to arrive later on Friday or early Saturday morning.
‘Our thoughts are with the crews, family and friends of the deceased,’ the CYCA said in a statement.
‘Further 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 sombre crew members arriving back at shore on Friday morning.
The crew member aboard Bowline was struck approximately 30nm east/north-east of Batemans Bay and fell unconscious, with CPR also unsuccessful (Bowline is pictured)
Cruising Yacht Club Australia Commodore David Jacobs said ‘everyone’s devastated’.
‘It’s a terrible tragedy,’ he added.
Sixteen boats have now retired out of a total fleet of 104.
‘Sixteen have retired, three were dismasted, two have main sail damage and the balance there were various equipment failures that caused them to retire,’ Mr Jacobs said.
‘But we still have 88 boats that are continuing in the race.’
The retirements include race favourite, Master Lock Comanche, which pulled out due to main sail damage.
Mr Jacobs revealed there was ‘one good story’ that happened overnight.
The incident aboard Flying Fish Arctos occurred around 30 nautical miles east-south east of Ulladulla on the NSW south coast shortly before midnight (the yacht’s sail boom is circled)
The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, which administers the iconic race, revealed the tragic news about the entrants’ deaths in a statement on Thursday
‘On the boat Porco Rosso a person was swept overboard. That is one of the most terrifying experiences that you can have,’ he said.
‘This was at 3.14am so it was at night which makes it ten-fold more scary.
Mr Jacobs revealed that the crew member had been washed around 1.2km away from the boat as rescue crews scrambled to locate them.
‘Fortunately the boat from which they fell was able to retrieve that crew member and they are healthy and well,’ he added.
Mr Jacobs insisted that the forecast was not ‘extreme’.
‘There was strong winds. The forecast was strong winds to gale force winds,’ he said.
‘These fleets can can handle those things. They’re ocean races. They’re used to those winds. It was not extreme conditions.’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the deaths as ‘heartbreaking’.
Cruising Yacht Club Australia Commodore David Jacobs said ‘everyone’s devastated’ by the two deaths
Two Sydney to Hobart sailors have died at sea amid wild weather conditions
‘The Sydney to Hobart is an Australian tradition, and it is heartbreaking that two lives have been lost at 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 sparked calls for the race to be cancelled or at least postponed when there is treacherous weather.
The deaths come 26 years after six sailors were killed in storms during the tragic 1998 running of the race, which triggered a NSW coronial inquest and mass reforms to the safety protocols that govern the race.
A west south-westerly change was expected to hit the Bass Strait overnight, bringing 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 100ft supermaxi yachts risk damage amid the wild weather, which could be race-defining and force more retirements from a fleet standing at 101 yachts.
Drama unfolded early on as fellow supermaxi Wild Thing 100 narrowly avoided a collision with Celestial V70 before recapturing her speed out of the Heads.
Wild Thing was at the centre of another incident in the harbour that left leading URM Group to complete a penalty turn.
URM Group had been required to keep clear of a cluster of boats on her starboard side but struggled to do so with Wild Thing so close leeward.
Just as Whisper flew a protest flag, claiming the mini-maxi had been too close, URM Group completed a penalty turn to absolve herself for the misstep.
Penalty turns for incidents that take place in the harbour must be completed early in the race, or else the offender risks a time penalty on arrival in Hobart.
