Organizers said Friday that two sailors have died at sea in separate incidents amid wild weather conditions during a Sydney to Hobart yacht race that forced line honours favourite Master Lock Comanche to withdraw among mass retirements.

The race will continue as the fleet sails to 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 administers the yacht race, has said that two sailors, one on the yacht Flying Fish Arctos and the other on the yacht Bowline, were killed after being struck by the boom, a large horizontal pole at the bottom of the sail.

The incident aboard Flying Fish Arctos occurred around 30 nautical miles east-southeast of Ulladulla on the New South Wales south coast. Crew members attempted CPR but could not revive their teammate.

The crew member aboard Bowline was struck approximately 30 nautical miles east/north-east of Batemans Bay and fell unconscious, with CPR also unsuccessful.

"Our thoughts are with the crews, family and friends of the deceased," the CYCA said in a statement.

The deaths come 26 years after six sailors were killed in storms during the 1998 running of the race, which triggered a state coronial inquest and mass reforms to the safety protocols that govern the race.