S.V. Cynthia Woods
| 300px
A photo of the crew of the S.V. Cynthis Woods
before their departure in the 2008 Regata de Amigos. |
|
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States |
|
| Name: | S.V. Cynthia Woods |
| Builder: | Cape Fear Yacht Works |
| Fate: | Capsized June 6, 2008 in the Gulf of Mexico killing 1 crew member, the safety officer on board. |
| Status: | Total constructive Loss, Salvaged |
| General characteristics | |
| Length: | 38' |
| Beam: | 11' |
| Draft: | 7' 2" |
| Propulsion: | Sail, engine |
The S.V. Cynthia Woods was a sailing vessel owned by Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG) and used by The TAMUG Sailing Team. It was manufactured in 2005 and donated to TAMUG by billionaire philanthropist and Texas A&M University graduate George P. Mitchell.[1] The Cynthia Woods was named for his wife Cynthia Woods Mitchell.
2008 accident
On June 6, 2008, the Cynthia Woods set sail in the Regatta de Amigos with a 6-person crew consisting of the captain (a university employee), four sailing team members (TAMUG students), and one safety officer who was a volunteer. The race started in Galveston, Texas at 2:00 p.m. local time. The race finish was in Veracruz, Mexico.[2]
The boat is believed to have lost its keel in rough seas during the night.[3] The boat was equipped with two transponders: a main one attached to the boat and a potable one provided by race officials for monitoring. The main transponder stopped working around midnight on June 6 and the portable stopped working around 9:00 a.m. the next morning.[2] The crew missed their scheduled 8:00 a.m. check-in call on June 7.[4]
Safety officer Roger Stone woke up the crew down below and got them out of the boat before it sank, but he did not make it. A capsized sailboat matching the description of the missing 38-foot boat was spotted by a Coast Guard plane at 5:15 p.m.[3] and those who did escape stayed afloat using four life vests in four-to-six-foot seas for 26 hours before being found by a coast guard plane and subsequently rescued.[2] The survivors were lifted to safety by helicopter at around 1:00 a.m. on June 8 and flown to a hospital in Galveston for treatment.[3]
