Dead Sailor Called A Hero For Saving 5

Capsized Sailboat Left Sailors Stranded For More Than A Day In Gulf Of Mexico

(CBS/AP)  A sailor is being praised as a hero for helping get five others to safety at the cost of his own life when a sailboat capsized during a regatta on the Gulf of Mexico.

Divers pulled safety officer Roger Stone's body from the boat Sunday afternoon, more than 12 hours after rescue crews found four college students and another safety officer in choppy waters.

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.

The five had shared four life vests to stay afloat for more than a day. They 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."

Steve Conway, the other safety officer onboard, spoke with CBS News Early Show anchor Harry Smith about what happened after the sailboat began to sink.

"Roger was down below with Steven and Travis Wright and he said that water was coming in and then when the boat went turtle, he pushed Steven and Travis up through the hatch and was obviously trapped below," said Conway.

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 kept the survivors together in the water and used a flashlight to signal Coast Guard searchers. The five stayed afloat with four life vests in 4- to 6-foot seas, Loftin said.

"We kept a real positive attitude and looked forward to the fact that the Coast Guard was gonna save us, that it was just a matter of time," Conway told Smith.

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.

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.

The five survivors were at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and were in good condition with sunburn and dehydration, Loftin said.

"I've talked to all of them, and they're all doing fine," he said. "They were extremely happy to be alive."

"I got out of the cabin without a life jacket, because that was the only way I would be able to get out," Steven Guy told Smith, "if not, I wouldn't be here today. And when I popped up, I held on to Steve and I held on to another person and they rotated the entire time."

"If it weren't for the four other guys, I probably wouldn't be here," Guy said, adding quietly, "and Roger."

Mike Janota, who also has sailed the Cynthia Woods as a safety officer, told the Houston Chronicle that Stone, 53, "was one of the best navigators I know. He's always prepared."

"There's not an aspect of sailing that he doesn't excel at," Janota said.

[whoop005]

Secondly, I understand you concern and protection of the term "Hero" It is a badge of valor that should only be bestowed upon the most deserving selfless individual who at all cost put his life in jeopardy so that others may live. The selfless act that earned roger this title is his refusal to leave the vessel until all crew were safe. On a floating vessel it is easy to come or go, but when you have a sinking vessel you have what could be described as a torrent of water poring into the vessel. The three men below deck would have to swim against what would equal a raging current just to egress the vessel.. Roger made sure these student got out of the boat all the while knowing that time for himself to egress was fading. Now gentlemen I consider a man who knowingly faces his own death so that others may live a hero. In fact I wish the world had more Heroes like Coach Stone. Unfortunately today we have become a selfish society. I wish more men like roger were celebrated to give our children some one to look up to an admire rather than many of there alternates today

[whoop005]

Secondly, I understand you concern and protection of the term "Hero" It is a badge of valor that should only be bestowed upon the most deserving selfless individual who at all cost put his life in jeopardy so that others may live. The selfless act that earned roger this title is his refusal to leave the vessel until all crew were safe. On a floating vessel it is easy to come or go, but when you have a sinking vessel you have what could be described as a torrent of water poring into the vessel. The three men below deck would have to swim against what would equal a raging current just to egress the vessel.. Roger made sure these student got out of the boat all the while knowing that time for himself to egress was fading. Now gentlemen I consider a man who knowingly faces his own death so that others may live a hero.

[whoop005]

I would like to put aside some of the misconceptions that have been promulgated here. First and for most let us start with the life jacket issue. Being a former crew member of the Cynthia Woods and A USCG licensed professional mariner, life jackets are not required to be worn below deck, wearing a life jacket below deck can actually create a safety hazard, the common type of life jacket in an offshore race as this one, is the inflatable integrated safety harness. If this life jacket is worn below deck and inflates it makes egressing the vessel much more difficult, this is why airline safety briefings tell you do not pull the red handle till you%u2019re out of the aircraft. Only while on deck is a life jacket required. This is why ever vessel you see has a life ring/horse shoe on the back of the vessel. This is keeping with all standard coast guard practices. Unfortunately in this situation accessing the life ring would have been to dangerous due to the lines and gear in the water

[nothappyatall]

From my reading of this article, it sounded like Roger Stone pushed the two students thru the hatch, making sure they got out first.

Posted by obicera

Ok, got it thanks.

[jn122736]

From my reading of this article, it sounded like Roger Stone pushed the two students thru the hatch, making sure they got out first. This implies to me that without assistance it would not have been possible to get thru the hatch. Once the two students were out there was no one left to help Roger and/or perhaps the water level had risen by then and he drowned. Regardless of the exact details, it sounds like Roger put the safety of the students above his own helping to save their lives even if it cost him his life. He wasn''''t home passively judging everyone else.

Posted by obicera at 10:55 AM : Jun 09, 2008
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Of course there are unlimited reasons for the way things happened. As I said in my previous comment, one %u201Cmight assume anything%u201D%u201D based on the meager details covered in these articles.

If Roger Stone actually did what you postulated (passively judged), then it should have at least been mentioned in the article.

[obicera]

From my reading of this article, it sounded like Roger Stone pushed the two students thru the hatch, making sure they got out first. This implies to me that without assistance it would not have been possible to get thru the hatch. Once the two students were out there was no one left to help Roger and/or perhaps the water level had risen by then and he drowned. Regardless of the exact details, it sounds like Roger put the safety of the students above his own helping to save their lives even if it cost him his life. He wasn''t home passively judging everyone else.

[jn122736]

%u201C%u201DA sailor is being praised as a hero for helping get five others to safety at the cost of his own life when a sailboat capsized during a regatta on the Gulf of Mexico.%u201D%u201D
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What did Officer Roger Stone actually do to merit being hailed as a hero?

This is the third version of this story that I have read (one on a USA today site and two versions on this site) and the lack of detail is amazing.

According to the comment by Poster, Conway_a, at 05:26 AM : Jun 09, 2008,

(whom one might assume actually is safety officer Conway, in the article, or perhaps his representative)

the boat remained afloat long enough for rescue helicopters to spot it just before it sank. Evidently, the five survivors had long drifted, or swam, away from it before that.

Officer Roger Stone was still in the boat when the rest of the crew escaped or were thrown overboard.

If the survivors did not witness officer Stone doing something heroic that cost his life one might also assume that they are hailing officer Stone as a hero to help cover their embarrassment/shame for abandoning him.

That%u2019s the worst part about incomplete/scrappy articles.

[nothappyatall]

I didnt see exactly what he DID that saved the others, the boat capsized and the other 5 hung onto 4 life vests, so where did HE come in besides losing his life?

Are we making a hero out of someone who simply drowned because he couldn''t didn''t get a vest on but the otheres DID?
They ALL should have been wearing vests before even stepping foot on board, that is the first rule of the seas- LIFE VEST ON, get on board.

[conway_a]

When they first spotted the boat, it was overturned but at the surface of the water. However, before they could get to the boat to check it, the boat sank. They proceeded with the search and rescue mission at that point, believing that all six had made it onto the life boat. After speaking with the rescued crew, they returned to the boat with the resources needed to get down to the boat.