ENSENADA, Mexico - The wife of a yachtsman killed with two others during a race between California and Mexico said Monday that her husband was a veteran sailor and the destruction of their boat is a mystery.
Leslie Rudolph, the wife of 53-year-old Kevin Rudolph, confirmed Monday that he was one of the three who died in the weekend race between Newport Beach and Ensenada. Authorities said William Johnson Jr. of Torrance and Joseph Stewart of Florida also died. A fourth person remains missing.
Wreckage of the yacht Aegean was found Saturday near the Mexican border and there is speculation that a freighter or other large boat hit it. No distress signals were sent.
Rudolph’s wife said he was competing in the race for the third time. She says Rudolph trusted the boat’s captain and never had qualms about sailing.
The race goes through shipping lanes and it is possible for a large ship to hit a sailboat and not even know it, especially at night, said Rich Roberts, a spokesman for the race organizer. Two race participants who were in the area at the time the Aegean vanished said they saw or heard a freighter.