Posted on 06/09/2008 1:13:26 AM PDT by BellStar
Joy from rescue of 5 Aggie boaters turns grim when 6th member of capsized boat crew is found dead amid wreckage
A day that started with the joyous rescue of five crew members of a Texas A&M University at Galveston sailboat closed with the somber discovery of the sixth sailor's body in the wreckage of the sunken ship.
Roger Stone, whose body was recovered by a salvage crew Sunday about 27 miles southeast of Freeport, was called a hero for helping two students escape from below decks seconds before the Cynthia Woods capsized.
"I'm sure that's what lost his life," said R. Bowen Loftin, vice president and CEO of Texas A&M University at Galveston. "He gave his life for theirs."
Five members of the team, including four students from the Houston area, were rescued by the Coast Guard at 2 a.m. Sunday — after braving 26 hours in the Gulf.
"He died doing what he loved, and he died doing his job," said his widow, Linda Stone of the Clear Lake area. "My husband was a hero."
The 53-year-old, who worked at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, was hired by Texas A&M to serve as a safety officer on the Cynthia Woods.
Stone and the students were resting below deck when one of them noticed water shooting up inside the hull and tried to stop it with a wooden plug, recounted Mike Janota, a close friend who was at the family's home when university officials delivered the news.
Janota said officials think it was Stone who shouted, "It's the keel. Get out. Get out."
The boat capsized about 30 seconds after water was spotted entering the boat, Loftin said.
The disaster struck the 38-foot Cynthia Woods sailboat several hours into the 630-nautical mile Regata de Amigos, a race from Galveston to Veracruz that began at 2 p.m. Friday.
"The consensus was that it had not (struck an object) and that the keel had fallen off the boat," Janota said.
The boat lost contact shortly before midnight Friday.
After spending the day searching, the Coast Guard found the capsized vessel at 5:15 p.m. Saturday. They used a helicopter and cage to rescue five members of the crew at 2 a.m. Sunday.
Those rescued were safety officer Steven Conway, director of computing and information services at Texas A&M University at Galveston, and students Travis Wright of League City, Ross James Busby of The Woodlands, Joseph Savana of Sugar Land and Steven Guy of The Woodlands.
Guided by Conway, an assistant coach, crew members stayed afloat for more than a day sharing four life vests. Conway kept the group together in the water and used a flashlight to signal Coast Guard searchers, university officials said. Loftin said they were moving slowly toward an oil rig that they could see.
Survivors remained in the hospital in good condition Sunday, suffering from sunburn, dehydration and exposure, he said.
"I've talked to all of them and they're all doing fine," Loftin said. "They were extremely happy to be alive."
The rest of Sunday was spent searching for Stone, who reportedly did not enter the water with the others.
Stone's son, 14-year-old Eric, wrote on an online sailing forum about 4 p.m. that divers were being sent down to examine the sunken wreckage of the Cynthia Woods.
At 6:55 p.m. he posted: "He's gone. Roger was found in the boat. He was a hero. He did his job as safety officer. He got those kids off the boat. He's in a better place now."
Stone also had a 12-year-old daughter. Stone and his wife were about to celebrate their 18th wedding anniversary. They married in Veracruz, the destination of the race.
Stone, who sailed the Regata de Amigos many times, was an excellent navigator and an accomplished seaman, friends said.
Staff reporters Jennifer Leahy, Kevin Moran and Richard Stewart contributed to this report.
harvey.rice@chron.com
It has been reported in several publicatios 2 hard grondings well after it was donated.
No! I said I read it in the Cron.com but I have been unable to find the post.
Sorry, Bell, you mentioned that in PM, didn’t you? Want me to have mod delete my ref to that, so as not to start rumors? Sorry about that!
Cant say I agree with some of these guys, but it appears that guy that has been fired might have done some shady repairs.
Shady repairs or inadequate maybe. It will all shake out in the lawsuit I think it was to hide groundings and their severity from A&M maybe? Sailboat racing is a powerful love of a sport.
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