Two sailors have died on separate boats during a lengthy yacht race in Australia. One sailor each on the Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline yachts were killed during the 722-mile race from Sydney to Hobart.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney said Friday that one sailor each on entrants Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline were killed after being struck by the boom, a large horizontal pole at the bottom of the sail.

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