Rough Seas Barrage Race; 2 Dead

Two sailors died, 15 were missing and an American was among the 56 who were rescued after gale-force winds and two-story-high waves battered yachts Monday in the 725-mile Sydney-to-Hobart race.

The two dead were Australians, found on the 40-foot vessel Business Post Naiad, 60 miles off the New South Wales state town of Merimbula.

Bruce Guy, the owner and skipper of Business Post Naiad, and first-time race participant Phil Skeggs were killed, Australian Maritime Safety Authority spokesman David Gray said.

Guy had a heart attack during one of the two occasions the yacht rolled, Gray said, while Skeggs drowned when he was unable to free himself from a safety harness. Their bodies were left on board the boat, but attempts were being made to recover them as soon as possible.

The 70-knot gales snapped masts, tore holes in decks and hulls and devastated crews as at least 37 yachts were forced out of the race, which was narrowly led by an American maxi Sayonara.

Nine crew were aboard the missing cutter Winston Churchill, and contact was lost with the five crew aboard Solo Globe.

British sailor Glyn Charles was swept off the Sword of Orion on Sunday night when the boat rolled in wild seas and remained missing.

Race officials said Charles had sailed in four Admiral’s Cups and represented Britain in the Star class at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, finishing 11th.

One of the missing yachts, B-52, was found heading toward Eden on the New South Wales coast. The nine crew on board were thought to be safe and the vessel was sailing unassisted.

American John Campbell was rescued by a police helicopter after being swept overboard when Kingurra rolled over 22 miles south of Gabo Island.

Campbell was in the water for about 40 minutes and had hypothermia when he was taken to safety by Senior Constable Barry Barclay, who dropped into large swells to secure Campbell.

“There was a point I didn’t think I was going to survive,” Campbell told KOMO in Seattle.