Coast Guard finds 5 missing sailors in Gulf
GALVESTON, Texas (AP) - June 8, 2008 Rescuers were continuing to search for a missing sailor,
identified as boat safety officer Roger Stone.
The search started after the 38-foot Cynthia Woods missed a
radio check Saturday morning. The crew included four college
students and two safety officers.
A helicopter crew from Air Station Houston pulled the five men
from the water 23 miles south of Freeport, Texas, Petty Officer
Renee C. Aiello said Sunday. They had drifted about five miles
northwest of their capsized boat.
They were taken to the University of Texas Medical Branch in
Galveston, where all five were listed in good condition. They were
suffering from sunburn and dehydration, said R. Bowen Loftin, CEO
of Texas A&M at Galveston.
"I've talked to all of them and they're all doing fine," he
said. "They were extremely happy to be alive."
Three of the students - Steven Guy, Joe Savana and Travis Wright
- attend Texas A&M at Galveston, the school said in a news release.
The fourth, Ross James Buzbee, attends Texas A&M in College
Station, the school said.
The other safety officer was identified as Steve Conway of Texas
A&M at Galveston.
The boat, which lost communication around midnight Friday, was
competing in the Regata de Amigos. The race, which covers 610
nautical miles from Galveston to Veracruz, Mexico, started Friday
and continues into next week.
Coast Guard officials said the keel of the overturned vessel was
ripped off, indicating the sailboat may have hit something in the
water, according to the school. Race director Kevin Box said the
loss of the keel can cause a boat to overturn in seconds.
The five who were rescued stayed afloat with four life vests in
4 to 6-foot seas, Loftin said. A few were below deck when the boat
capsized. They said Stone was not among them when they went into
the water, Loftin said.
It was Conway who kept the group together in the water and used
a flashlight to signal Coast Guard searchers, Loftin said.
The boat went missing 11 miles south of Matagorda, which is
about 110 miles down the coast from Galveston.