GALVESTON, Texas—Divers recovered the body of a missing sailor Sunday, hours after rescuing four college students and a safety officer who floated for more than a day in choppy seas, sharing four life vests after their sailboat capsized during a regatta on the Gulf of Mexico, authorities said.

Safety officer Steve Conway of Texas A&M University at Galveston kept the group together in the water and used a flashlight to signal Coast Guard searchers, said R. Bowen Loftin, CEO of Texas A&M at Galveston. Three of the students attend the university.

Loftin said in a message posted on the university’s Website Sunday night that safety officer Roger Stone’s body had been recovered. The Coast Guard said divers found the body in the capsized 38-foot Cynthia Woods 27 miles southeast of Freeport.

Loftin expressed condolences to Stone’s family.

“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 Website. “We now know that Roger Stone died a hero in the classic sense of the word.”

The search began for the crew Saturday morning after the sailboat missed a radio check.

The five rescued about 2 a.m. Sunday were at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and were in good condition with sunburn and dehydration, Loftin said. The men were resting and visiting with their families after 26 hours floating in the Gulf, said a hospital spokesman.

A helicopter crew from Air Station Houston pulled the five men from the water 23 miles south of Freeport, Petty Officer Renee C. Aiello said Sunday. They had drifted about 5 miles northwest of their capsized boat.

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

Three of the students—Steven Guy, Joe Savana and Travis Wright—attend Texas A&M at Galveston, the school said in a news release. The fourth, Ross James Buzbee, attends Texas A&M in College Station, the school said.

The safety officer who kept the group together in the water was identified as Steve Conway of Texas A&M at Galveston.











Aiello said a Coast Guard rescue crew found the sailboat’s transponder Sunday. She said the sailboat capsized in the water but could be seen by rescuers.

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.

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.

The five stayed afloat with four life vests in 4- to 6-foot seas, Loftin said. A few were below deck when the boat capsized. They said Stone was not among them when they went into the water, Loftin said.

The boat went missing 11 miles south of Matagorda, which is about 110 miles down the coast from Galveston.