Two sailors died at sea in separate incidents amid wild weather during the Sydney to Hobart yacht race that forced venerable favorite Master Lock Comanche’s line to retire amid mass retirements, organizers said Friday.

The race will continue as the fleet sails towards Constitution Dock in Hobart, with the first boats expected to arrive later on Friday or early Saturday morning.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) in Sydney, which manages the yacht race, said two sailors, one on Flying Fish Arctos and the other on Bowline, died after being struck by a boom, a large horizontal pole at the bottom of a sail .

The incident aboard the Flying Fish Arctos occurred about 30 nautical miles east-southeast of Ulladulla on the New South Wales south coast. Crew members attempted CPR but were unable to revive their teammate.

A crew member on the Bowline was struck approximately 30 nautical miles east/northeast of Batemans Bay and was rendered unconscious, CPR was also unsuccessful.

“Our thoughts are with the crew, family and friends of the deceased,” CYCA said in a statement.

The deaths come 26 years after six sailors died in storms during the 1998 race, prompting a state investigation and sweeping reforms to the safety protocols governing the race.