A "sombre" LawConnect has tempered celebrations after claiming back-to-back line honours victories in a Sydney to Hobart race marred by the death of two sailors.  The Christian Beck-skippered supermaxi was first across the River Derwent finish line at 2.

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

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.