Andrew Short and Sally Gordon drowned in Flinders Islet Race

3:41 AM Sat 10 Oct 2009 GMT

Two of Australia's best known sailors drowned in the 2009 Sydney to Flinders Islet race this morning.

NSW Police released the names of two sailors who died in a boating accident off the New South Wales South Coast. Sally Gordon, 47, of Darling Point and Andrew Short, 48, from The Spit were unconscious when they were pulled from the sea and could not be revived.

Ocean racing veteran Andrew Short owned and skippered the 24-metre yacht, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, which ran aground on Flinders Islet off Port Kembla about 3:00am (AEDT) today. Sally Gordon, was one of the most experienced women ocean racers on the Australian scene having sailed in 15 Sydney to Hobart races

Ray Roberts shares experiences with Roger Hickman and Sally Gordon - Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race - Crosbie Lorimer Click Here to view large photo

Along with 16 other crew, the two were taking part in an overnight race between Sydney and Flinders Islet.

Fifteen people made their way safely to Flinders Islet before being airlifted to Wollongong hospital, suffering a range of minor injuries including hypothermia and shock.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and are still cleaning up debris from the scene.

Water Police commander Mark Hutchings says it's unclear why the yacht ran aground when the sea and weather conditions were not considered extreme.

'Condition ... obviously it was cold ... the swell is up but certainly not for the sort of yachts that were involved in that race,' he said.

The remaining boats in the fleet have continued on in the annual race conducted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.

by Sail-World.com

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Andrew Short and Sally Gordon drowned in Flinders Islet Race

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