Mustafa Ingham and the crew on board LawConnect muted their celebrations after claiming line honours in the prestigious Rolex Sydney Hobart Race out of respect for the two sailors who died in this year’s race.

Roy Quaden was killed on board Flying Fish Arctos after being hit by the yacht's boom, while fellow Australian Nick Smith succumbed to injuries sustained on board Bowline after being struck by the mainsheet and thrown across the boat. Both incidents occurred on day one of the 630-nautical-mile race from Sydney Harbour, Australia, to Hobart, Tasmania.

“First, it’s always a tragedy when you lose a life at sea,” Bermudian Ingham told The Royal Gazette. “Sending my warmest condolences to the families.”

In another incident, Tasmanian helmsman Luke Watkins was thrown off Porco Rosso about 50 nautical miles offshore from Green Cape, New South Wales. The 37-year-old nearly drowned, spending about 45 minutes in the water after being thrown off his boat by a wave, but survived the ordeal.

Of the 104 starters, 28 yachts have retired from this year's race so far amid strong winds on the first day.

Christian Beck’s 100ft supermaxi, LawConnect, took one day, 13 hours and 35 minutes to complete the race after setting sail from Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day, crossing the finish line in Hobart shortly after 2.30am on Saturday, more than 20 nautical miles ahead of nearest rival Celestial V70.

Ingham, who secured line honours in the race for the second consecutive year, is happy to be safely back on land after enduring a bumpy ride in tall seas and strong winds on the first day of the race.

“There were some heart-in-mouth moments,” he said. “The seas had a range of swells and gusts. We managed to see 45 knots whilst having our A7 [reaching front sail] up right before Master Lock Comanche ripped their main.

“After that moment we went into conservation mode as there were extreme loads on all of the gear. Honestly, just happy to get the big girl to the dock and tick another first out of Sydney Heads and line honours.”

Ingham and his colleagues surged to the front of the fleet when leader and race record-holder, Master Lock Comanche, retired on day two after suffering damage to its mainsail approximately 63 nautical miles off Green Cape.

LawConnect and Master Lock Comanche were neck and neck in last year’s race, swapping the lead until the former took line honours just 51 seconds ahead.

Formerly known as Comanche and owned by Americans Jim and Kristy Hinze Clark, the 100ft yacht holds the Newport Bermuda Race monohull record, which stands at 34hr 42min 53sec.

While LawConnect has already secured line honours, it may take days before the overall race winner is determined once times are adjusted for handicap.

The Sydney Hobart Race, first held in 1945, is regarded as the most gruelling and challenging long ocean race in the world.