SANTA MONICA, Calif. - There were four adventurers who loved the sea and wanted to see the world. Friends said they were meticulous and planned for possible dangers, but even that could not prepare for the Somali pirates who stormed their yacht and took their lives.
boat owners, Jean and Adam Scott in Marina del Rey, along with Bob and Phyllis Riggle Macaya of Seattle, were shot to death early Tuesday, after pirates took them hostage on Friday, several hundred miles south of Oman.
Macaya niece, Nina Crossland, told reporters Tuesday that his aunt was "a very intelligent and avid sailor."
"I think it was planned and prepared and smart enough to not be in this situation," he said, visibly shaken and holding back tears.
The full-time Adams had sailed on their yacht of 58 feet, the Quest, since December 2004 after retirement. They often traveled with friends, and on this trip were met by Riggle and Macaya.
Mariners were felt around the Horn of Africa due to the risk of pirate attacks. The four sailors who traveled with a large fleet to be safe before the trip, but left the group at the time of the attack, said Crossland.
The Pirates hit four after firing a rocket-propelled grenade at a U.S. warship, one of the hijacked ships monitoring the boat over the weekend. Fifteen men were captured.
Macaya, 59, was wounded but alive, when Navy SEALs Quest rose after the shooting, but died later, his granddaughter said.
Macaya and Riggle had left Seattle on a sailboat for a trip Riggle world in September 2007, but in recent years had been the crew on the boats separated, Macaya said friend Cynthia Kirkham, of Seattle.
Mighty Joe Young, another member of the Seattle Singles Yacht Club, said the deaths were like losing a family member who knew the couple.
"Great crew, good people. They did what they wanted to do, but this is small comfort in the face of this," said Grande.
The U.S. flag flew at half-staff Tuesday in Del Rey Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, a small boat harbor on the southern coast of California where Adams made their base.
Gary Deitsch, commodore of the club, said members were devastated by the killings. The couple had been part of the club since 2001.
"We are deeply saddened," he said. "We hope that their deaths will bring to focus the world to eradicate this violence."
DeDe Allen, secretary of the club who was a friend of the couple and had sailed with them, said they were the last to Marina del Rey in December.
"They were wonderful people just to be with," Allen said. "Their personal mission was to enjoy life."
Adam Scott, who was in his mid-60s, had been an associate producer in Hollywood, when he became the spiritual and enrolled at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena a decade ago, said Robert K. Johnston, a professor at the seminary.
His wife was a dentist, Torgerson said.
At St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica, where the parishioners were Adam and Jean Adams sang in the choir, Monsignor Lloyd Torgerson described the killings as a harrowing morning at Mass
Adams has had with their Bibles to be distributed to remote corners of the world, he said.
"They were an extraordinary couple," said Torgerson. "They were happy people."
Riggle was a relief veterinarian for the animal shelter Seattle for the past eight years or so, sterilization and the sterilization of animals adopted, the Director Don Jordan said.
"There was a man of many words, but it was a good-hearted person with a passion for animals and animal welfare," said Jordan.
Riggle once took sailing with the family of a colleague, when their daughter was diagnosed with cancer to get their mind with their problems. "This is just a small indicator of how he treated people," he said.
Macaya was vice president for training and development of profitability Consulting Group, an adviser to retail furniture stores based in Hillsborough, NC She and Riggle were romantically involved when they first met, but have friends who have been sailed together, said Kirkham.
Profitability Consulting CEO John Eggers Said Macaya was regarded in the industry as one of the top educators and presenters on the design and sales.
"It was a free spirit," said Eggers. "It was just a real professional and just loved life."
___
Tibbits reported from Seattle. Associated Press writers Phuong Le in Seattle and Jason Dearen in South San Francisco, contributed to this report.
___
No comments:
Post a Comment