Two sailors on separate boats have been killed in boom accidents two hours apart on a storm-ravaged first night of the annual Sydney to Hobart race, adding to the event’s long history of deaths at sea

Two sailors have been killed in separate incidents in the treacherous Sydney to Hobart yacht race, officials said on Friday, as a string of yachts retired in powerful winds and high seas.

For the first time in 26 years, competitors in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race have died. For veteran sailor John Stanley, it brings back memories of a 28-hour ordeal in the tragic race of 1998.