Anonymous - 1-31-2004 at 12:45 PM
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/tijuana/20040130-1...
ASSOCIATED PRESS
January 30, 2004
TIJUANA, Mexico ? The body of a retired American sailor has been discovered on a Baja California beach, apparently due to a yachting accident, Mexican
state officials said Friday.
The man apparently had been aboard the 25-foot yacht Wave Dancer, which was reported as missing by the U.S. Coast Guard. It had left Dana Point in
California on Jan. 10.
Deputy state Attorney General Sonia Patricia Navarro identified the body discovered Jan. 18 as that of Mark Smotherman, a U.S. citizen living in the
area of Ensenada, about 55 miles south of here.
While officials did not know where he was from in the United States, agency spokeswoman Rosa Isela Arce said he was a 62-year-old retired sailor and
she said his wife had been visiting a daughter in Santa Barbara, California. She did not have their names.
It was not clear if other people had been aboard the Wave Dancer.
Navarro said her agency was still investigating the incident to ensure there was no wrongdoing.
She said local sources said Smotherman was ferrying the yacht from Dana Point to a friend in Ensenada.