Champagne corks often pop and loud, boisterous cheers are usually heard around Constitution Dock when the Sydney to Hobart line honors winner finishes in the Tasmanian state capital.

The men were hit in the head by booms on their yachts in separate episodes, as participants faced challenging weather conditions, the police said.

Two sailors died in stormy conditions during this year’s Sydney to Hobart yacht race, officials said Friday. The grueling event runs 722 miles across open water from mainland Australia to Tasmania. The dead were identified as Roy Quaden,