Organizers said Friday that two Sydney to Hobart sailors have died at sea amid wild weather conditions that forced line honors favorite Master Lock Comanche to withdraw among mass retirements. The race will continue as the fleet continues its passage to Constitution Dock in Hobart,

Two sailors died during a Sydney to Hobart Boxing Day yacht race, New South Wales Police announced Thursday. The victims were struck by sail booms overnight in two separate incidents about two hours apart. Crews from the boats performed CPR but could not revive the sailors, according to race organizers.

Two sailors have been killed during the Sydney to Hobart yacht race amid a night of tough weather conditions that hit the fleet.

The devastating news about the two deaths comes after a host of competitors were forced to retire from the race overnight, including line honours favourite Master Lock Comanche. The record race holder, Comanche was leading the race, approximately 63 nautical miles of Green Cape when she retired after reporting mainsail damage.

One sailor each on Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline were killed after being struck by the boom, a large horizontal pole at the bottom of the sail.

LawConnect was first out of the Heads, but a furling issue allowed line honours rival Comanche to grab the lead as the fleet raced down the NSW coast in powerful north-easterly winds on Thursday afternoon.

LawConnect was first out of the Heads, but a furling issue allowed line honours rival Comanche to grab the lead, while last year’s overall winner, Alive, was forced to retire just three hours into the race.

Sydneysiders flocked to vantage points along the harbour in huge numbers to witness the field get underway - and they witnessed one contender almost collide with a rival yacht.