Bradenton Man Killed in Yacht Race in Pacific

The San Diego County Coroner has identified two crewmen aboard the Aegean, a Redondo Beach-based yacht that may have collided with a larger ship while competing in a race from Newport Beach to Mexico.

Joseph Lester Stewart, 64, of Bradenton, and William Reed Johnson Jr., 57, of Torrance, Ca. perished during the deadly crash, the San Diego County Coroner said Sunday.

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Three bodies were recovered from the wreckage near the Coronado Islands, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The crew consisted of the skipper and three others.

The Aegean was skippered by its owner, Redondo Beach, Ca. resident Theo Mavromatis, and had its regular crew, according to Ray Pollock of Marina Sailing, which rents out the boat for Mavromatis. This was the seventh time Mavromatis had entered the race, according to results from the race’s official website. He won the race in 2011 and 2009.

Authorities have not said whether Mavromatis or the other unidentified crewman was the missing person.

The Hunter 376 yacht was competing in the annual Lexus Newport to Ensenada Yacht Race. The yacht was one of 213 boats that crossed shipping lanes used by large freighters, Navy ships and fishing vessels off San Diego.

A Coast Guard helicopter crew and a civilian crew discovered the bodies and the remains of the Aegean, including the rear transom with the boat’s name on it, according to the Coast Guard. The search was launched after race officials notified the Coast Guard of the missing boat and vessels near the Coronado Islands reported seeing debris Saturday morning.

The Aegean was skippered by its owner, Theo Mavromatis, and had its regular crew, according to Ray Pollock of Marina Sailing, which rents out the boat for Mavromatis. This was the seventh time Mavromatis had entered the race, according to results from the race’s official website. He won the race in 2011 and 2009.

According to a news release from Rich Roberts, the race's press officer, the Aegean "vanished" from the online race tracking system at about 1:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m. EST) Saturday.

"An investigation (is) continuing, but it appeared the damage was not inflicted by an explosion but by a collision with a ship much larger than the 37-foot vessel,"

Roberts wrote. It was not publicly known if any large Navy or commercial ships were crossing the race course when the Aegean’s signal disappeared, but the yacht's path intersected shipping lanes into San Diego Bay near where debris was first spotted Saturday. The nearest big commercial ports are at San Diego and Ensenada, about 70 miles southeast.

Large commercial fishing boats from both the U.S. and Mexico also operate in the area.

"We definitely will be investigating this," U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Henry Dunphy said.

“We don’t have any details of what happened to the boat,” Pollock said. “The boat was very seaworthy and had all the instruments you need to avoid collisions.”

Pollock said the Aegean had a brand-new engine and experienced crew.

“I’d probably rule out operator error,” he said.

More than 200 boats competed in the Newport Ocean Sailing Association’s race, which started Friday at the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach, and many of the 213 boats sailed into Ensenada on Saturday. The last boats were expected to come in Sunday.

Roberts said that these are the first fatalities in the 65-year history of the race.

Mavromatis is president and chief executive of Aegean Consulting, Inc., which specializes in the telecommunications and aerospace industries.

—City News Service contributed to this report.