Sailor called 'hero' for helping save 5 others

[June 09, 2008]  GALVESTON, Texas (AP) -- The survivors praised the boat's other safety officer, 53-year-old Roger Stone, for rushing them off the craft within seconds of realizing it was taking water, putting their lives ahead of his own. Divers pulled his body from the boat Sunday afternoon.

"Roger was a friend, a great sailor, a good coach and a true hero," safety officer Steve Conway said on NBC's "Today." "Our hearts and prayers go out to his family in their time of loss."

Conway said the students kept their composure over 26 hours in the choppy water. They used belts and rigging to hook themselves together, with the five men sharing four life vests, Conway said. He told them stories to keep them encouraged.

"They remained positive, they didn't panic," Conway said. "They kept working as a team and helping each other."

Three of the students -- Steven Guy, Joe Savana and Travis Wright -- attend Texas A&M at Galveston. The fourth, Ross James Buzbee, attends Texas A&M in College Station.

Buzbee said Conway kept their spirits up while they waited for rescue.

"Steve, he told us stories to keep us entertained and to keep us focused," Buzbee said on "Today." "It basically gave us a positive outlook on everything."

The five spent Sunday visiting with family and nursing minor sunburn and dehydration.

R. Bowen Loftin, CEO of Texas A&M at Galveston, expressed condolences to Stone's family -- including a wife and two children -- in a message posted on the school's Web site.

"We hope they can take some comfort in knowing all five survivors of this tragic accident credit Mr. Stone with heroic efforts that were instrumental in making possible their survival," Loftin said on the school's Web site. "We now know that Roger Stone died a hero in the classic sense of the word."

The search for the sailors began Saturday morning after the 38-foot sailboat Cynthia Woods missed a radio check. The boat, which lost communication around midnight Friday, was competing in the Regata de Amigos. The race, which covers hundreds of miles from Galveston to Veracruz, Mexico, started Friday and continues into next week.

Loftin said Conway used a flashlight to signal Coast Guard searchers. The five stayed afloat in 4- to 6-foot seas, Loftin said.

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.

Conway said it was "premature to speculate" about whether the keel broke off before the Coast Guard completes its investigation.

A helicopter crew from Air Station Houston pulled the five men from the water 23 miles south of Freeport about 2 a.m., Coast Guard Petty Officer Renee C. Aiello said Sunday. They had drifted about five miles northwest of their capsized boat.

In an interview Monday, Lt. Justo Rivera, the helicopter pilot, said his crew searched the Gulf of Mexico for two hours before they had to return to their Galveston base to refuel. The crew resumed their search when Petty Officer Louis Bishop, the flight mechanic, spotted the flashlight's tiny glimmer.

Only after Chief Petty Officer Albert Shannon, the rescue swimmer, dove in did the crew learn there were just five people in the group.

"It hurts not being able to save that one individual," Rivera told reporters.

[Associated Press; By MONICA RHOR]

Associated Press writers John Porretto in Houston and Linda Franklin in Dallas contributed to this report.

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