S.V. Cynthia Woods

	A photo of the crew of the S.V. Cynthia 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), along with 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 portable 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]

References

Suayan, John (March 2, 2010). "Mitchell company settles wrongful death suit from capsizal of 'Cynthia Woods'". The Southeast Texas Record. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
Rice, Harvey (June 7, 2008). "Sailor missing after A&M boat capsizes dies 'a hero'". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
"5 of 6 missing sailors rescued from Gulf". CNN. June 8, 2008. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
Strong, Andrew L.; Smock, Catherine A. (July 17, 2009). "Final Investigation Report on the S/V Cynthia Woods" (pdf). The Office of General Counsel and the Internal Audit Department of The Texas A&M University System. p. 1. Retrieved April 28, 2015.

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[1] Suayan, John (March 2, 2010). "Mitchell company settles wrongful death suit from capsizal of 'Cynthia Woods'". The Southeast Texas Record. Retrieved April 28, 2015.

[Rice-2] Rice, Harvey (June 7, 2008). "Sailor missing after A&M boat capsizes dies 'a hero'". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 30, 2015.

[CNN-3] "5 of 6 missing sailors rescued from Gulf". CNN. June 8, 2008. Retrieved April 30, 2015.

[4] Strong, Andrew L.; Smock, Catherine A. (July 17, 2009). "Final Investigation Report on the S/V Cynthia Woods" (pdf). The Office of General Counsel and the Internal Audit Department of The Texas A&M University System. p. 1. Retrieved April 28, 2015.