HOUSTON, June 18 /PRNewswire/ -- As the investigation of the capsizing of the Cape Fear 38R Cynthia Woods continues, Cape Fear Yacht Works has pledged and is delivering its full cooperation with all local, state and federal investigative authorities.


"First and foremost, our heartfelt condolences go out to Roger Stone's family, friends, colleagues and students, as well as the sailors saved by the heroic actions of Mr. Stone," said Rona Garm, manager and spokesperson for Cape Fear Yacht Works.


Cape Fear Yacht Works is particularly focused on learning all of the details of the extensive repairs that were done after the multiple groundings as referenced by Texas A&M University at Galveston in its press conference on June 17 -- specifically the severe grounding in March of 2007. During the company's multiple visits last week, extensive information, plans and photos of the Cynthia Woods and George Phydias build process was delivered to the United States Coast Guard for their investigation.


The Cynthia Woods and George Phydias are two Cape Fear 38R sailboats that were specifically built to provide a sturdy, long-lived, vessel for Texas A&M University collegiate sailing programs.


"Since the vessels were delivered to Texas A&M University in December of 2005, Cape Fear Yacht Works has not been involved in any of the post-delivery commissioning or repairs," said Garm. "It is inappropriate for us to speculate further as to potential causes of this tragedy. We prefer to wait for the final United States Coast Guard findings to determine the sequence of events that may have led to the loss of life last weekend."


Bruce Marek, an experienced naval architect who is responsible for the Cynthia Woods' design, said the vessel's structure is not flawed. Marek said he uses the design of the boat, a Cape Fear 38, as a textbook example of a model design at industry seminars and when teaching naval architecture review courses.


Founded in 2000, Cape Fear Yacht Works, based in Wilmington, North Carolina, has built a number of vessels by hand to the highest quality standards. The company believes in the design, build process, and safety of all its vessels. Cape Fear 38s have raced and cruised the East and Gulf coasts since 2001 with an exemplary safety record.