Mechanical woes linked to boat accident

Associated Press
Nov. 17, 2003 12:00 AM


TUCSON - Mechanical problems might be to blame for a boating accident that
took the lives of five Tucson men in Mexico last month, port officials said.

The Americans were last seen alive Oct. 25, after going fishing in Puerto
Peñasco, a popular beach town about 60 miles south of the Arizona-Mexico
border. Their 24-foot catamaran was found capsized three days later about 80
miles southwest of Puerto Peñasco, also called Rocky Point.

"What we were able to observe in our examination was that the bilge pump
hatch and a pass-through valve were open and could have allowed water into
the boat," said Port Capt. Jos German Islada, a commander with the Mexican
Maritime Guard in Puerto Peñasco.

Workers at the boat launch told investigators that the catamaran failed to
start at least twice because of battery problems. A second battery was
connected before the boat started.

Also, the boat was better suited for a lake, Islada said.

"It's possible they had some kind of mechanical failure and they were stuck
out there and were unable to manage the high seas that came with the storm,"
Islada said. "What actually happened only they know, and they can no longer
tell us."

Earlier this month, searchers recovered the body of one of the men. Joshua
Howard, 21, was found wearing a life vest and tethered to two empty ice
chests about 17 miles southwest of Puerto Peñasco.

Howard's 47-year-old father, Randy, is still missing along with Mark Brinke,
47, Daryl Holland, 42, and Carl Hopper, 42.

It's unclear if the boat had adequate life preservers.