Toxicology report: No alcohol in Aegean sailors’ systems

The bodies of the four sailors aboard the Aegean who were killed during the annual Newport to Ensenada Yacht Race tested negative for alcohol, but one of them had marijuana in his system, according to toxicology reports.

The report from the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office found traces of marijuana in Joseph Lester Stewart’s system.

Theo Mavromatis’ body, which was found 11 days after the crash, had decomposed to the point that the medical examiner wasn’t able to perform a blood test for carbon monoxide. The extent of the skipper’s injuries suggested he did not survive the 37-foot vessel’s crash.

William Reed Johnson, 57, of Torrance and Mavromatis, 49, of Redondo Beach died of blunt-force injuries.

FOR THE RECORD:
An earlier version incorrectly stated that Mavromatis was living in Long Beach.

Kevin Eric Rudolph, 53, of Manhattan Beach died of blunt-force head and neck injuries.

Stewart, 64, of Bradenton, Fla., drowned, with blunt-force injuries contributing to his death.

None of the men aboard the Aegean were wearing flotation devices, and each had prior experience in the race, the report found.

An official report from U.S. Sailing, the sport’s governing body, determined that the Aegean ran aground on the rocky North Coronado Island south of San Diego Bay. The conclusion was based largely on information relayed from a GPS device aboard the boat that showed its trajectory into the island.

Immediately after the crash, many speculated that a large commercial ship struck the Aegean because of the extensive damage. One person reported the boat looked like it was destroyed in a blender.

The U.S. Coast Guardexpects to finalize a separate report on the incident by the end of October, according to Petty Officer Henry Dunphy.

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