Community Corner

Questions Surround Aegean Crash

The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating what happened to the Aegean, a Redondo Beach-based yacht that crashed during a race from Newport Beach to Mexico.

Less than three days after the wreckage of the Aegean and the bodies of three of its crew were discovered floating near the Coronado Islands, questions remain about what happened.

The Aegean, a Hunter 376 sailboat berthed in Redondo Beach's King Harbor Marina, was competing in the annual Lexus Newport Beach to Ensenada Yacht Race when its transponder signal disappeared at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday, according to race officials. At that point, the crew had been sailing for about 14 hours.

  • Related:

Eric Lamb, a contractor who was on safety patrol for the race, came across the fragmented remains of the boat and the bodies of Manhattan Beach resident Kevin Rudolph, 53; Torrance resident Bill Johnson Jr., 57; and Bradenton, Fla. resident Joe Stewart, 64, on Saturday morning. The Aegean's skipper, Redondo Beach resident Theo Mavromatis, 49, is still missing.

Find out what's happening in Redondo Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The U.S. Coast Guard's search for Mavromatis was called off Sunday afternoon.

Race press officer Rich Roberts said it appeared the 37-foot Aegean had been hit by a much larger, faster vessel. The boat debris—which was spread over two square miles—was identified via its rear transom, which had the sailboat's name painted on it.

Find out what's happening in Redondo Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The race's course crossed shipping lanes used by military and cargo ships headed to San Diego and Ensenada, Mexico.

KGTV-TV in San Diego reported that U.S. Sailing Association President Gary Jobson told the television station that a woman on another sailboat said she saw a cargo ship hit the Aegean; however, U.S. Sailing Marketing Director Amy Larkin could not confirm this information.

"It's way too early to speculate in any way, shape or form," Larkin told Patch. She later added, "No one from U.S. Sailing is going on record to discuss what's happened because right now, it's all hearsay."

Jobson told KGTV-TV that it was "conceivable" that a large ship would not have seen a small boat; however, "There were a couple hundred boats on the water, so for sure the ship had to know there was a lot of traffic in the area."

Pointing to tracking data purportedly from the Aegean's transponder, others have speculated that the sailboat hit the rocks on the north end of the Coronado Islands. Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Bill Burwell told the Associated Press that he's "not ruling out" the possibility.

Additionally, Coast Guard officials said they were aware of the tracking data; however, the transponder had not yet been recovered.

In an interview with the Daily Pilot, Roberts called the GPS data "really revealing"; however, he told Patch that the boat was in such small pieces that he thought it unlikely it simply hit the rocks.

Mike Patton, a fifth Aegean crewman who backed out of the race at the last minute after his mother fell ill, also disputed the notion that the boat broke up on the rocks.

"Look at the destruction of it all," Patton told the Associated Press. "You're talking about it being squished."

A less popular theory says the yacht collided with an emerging submarine. Roberts told reporter Chelsea Sektnan of the Easy Reader that there is heavy submarine traffic in the area.

Nevertheless, Roberts indicated that the Aegean probably had at least two men above deck at the time of the incident.

"One (would be) driving and the other standing watch looking for things," Roberts said. "These guys were experienced offshore racers and its likely they were doing all the right things."

A fifth Aegean crewman who backed out of the race at the last minute after his mother fell ill, Mike Patton, said Mavromatis was almost "fanatical" about safety, Patton said.

"That was the safest crew I've ever seen, almost to the point of ridiculousness," he said. "I know that boat intimately, and there's no way it should have happened."

In terms of the race's end in Ensenada, Roberts said the deadly crash cast a shadow over the typical festivities. 

"Usually its really a semi-wild affair with lots of hooting and hollering when the trophies are given, but this time it was subdued," Roberts said. "There was a moment of prayer, and it did take the edge of the normal celebrations."

Larkin said U.S. Sailing is appointing an independent panel to investigate the incident. The Coast Guard is also investigating and has requested records of all large ships in the area.

"It may take a a few weeks to know what really happened, but I'd say it was probably the most serious civilian racing accident … in Southern California in a long time," Roberts said.

These are the first fatalities in the 65-year history of the race.

Previously:



Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here