Fatality at Sea Taking Its Toll

The fallout continues three weeks after James “Rollo� Heyn was killed in a tragic accident aboard the Royal Polaris, a luxury sportfisher based in San Diego.

Rollo, as he was called, was a deckhand who worked his way to captain. He was considered one of the best--and was one of the most popular. Fishermen chose the Royal Polaris over other vessels simply because they knew Rollo would be aboard.

Heyn was killed while playing with explosives during the voyage home from a long-range fishing trip in Mexican waters. He was second in command at the time of the accident, which occurred off southern Baja California, three days from port at Fisherman’s Landing.

The primary captain during the 18-day excursion to the Revillagigedo Islands, Steve Loomis, has surrendered his Master’s license to the U.S. Coast Guard to avoid being brought before a federal judge.

Coast Guard investigators had leveled charges of negligence, misconduct and violation of a federal statute that prohibits possession of explosives aboard passenger vessels. They sought revocation of his captain’s license, which Loomis, 55, obliged without a fight.

Loomis, they said, did not merely know that Heyn, 39, and others were making small bombs and tossing them overboard on the afternoon of Feb. 4.

“He also participated in the final assembly of at least one of these things and also in lighting some of them off,� said Lt. Chris Palmer, the lead Coast Guard investigator.

The explosives were binary in nature, meaning two ingredients were necessary to turn them into explosives.

Palmer identified one of the ingredients--based on interviews, as the leftover materials were reportedly thrown overboard after the incident--as ammonium nitrate and the other as a high-grade fuel “that I’m told is the equivalent to high-octane racing fuel,� he said.

Ammonium nitrate and fuel oil were used by convicted killer Timothy McVeigh to build the 4,800-pound bomb that destroyed the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995.

The explosives on the Royal Polaris were much smaller, of course. They were constructed in narrow pipelike objects and ignited with blasting caps and fuses. Heyn and his friends were reportedly tossing them overboard and marveling at the explosions. One or more blew up in Heyn’s hands, however, and he bled to death.

The charges against Loomis were administrative in nature, pertaining solely to his right to carry a captain’s license.

Palmer said civil penalties still could be imposed on “anybody who was taking part in this.�

An ongoing investigation by the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, meanwhile, could result in criminal charges being filed against either Loomis or whoever brought the combustible materials aboard the vessel.

“That’s the key question,� Palmer said. “Who actually brought the stuff on the boat?�

Mexico, which issues permits to the San Diego fleet to fish in its waters, reportedly has requested some answers from boat owner Frank LoPreste, and LoPreste has cooperated.

Meanwhile, the tight-knit long-range fishing community in and beyond San Diego is trying to cope with the loss of another of its top captains.

The loss of Heyn was devastating in large part because of the senseless way in which he died. The circumstances involving Loomis are equally difficult to comprehend because he had been considered among the most safety- conscious skippers in the Southland.

He was a veteran of 35 years and had twice been cited by the Coast Guard for exemplary behavior in times of emergency.

He also had a knack for putting his customers on fish and was a big reason the Royal Polaris was one of the most popular sportfishing vessels in the world.

“He had like a sixth sense when it came to finding fish,� said Pete Gray, co-host of the “Let’s Talk Hook-Up� weekend radio show on XTRA (690). “I sometimes accuse him of thinking like a fish because he’s able to find them so well. He’s also one of the most gentle gentlemen I’ve ever known.�

Said Palmer: “Here’s a licensed master who has been running boats for 35 years and he just made some judgment errors, some serious judgment errors, that cost him his livelihood, and that’s a shame.

“Most of the people on the trip were [repeat] passengers and there was kind of a family sense on the boat, and instead of taking a firm stand like he should have, he had become lax and allowed this to go on.�

Neither Loomis nor LoPreste will comment until the investigation is completed.

LoPreste, however, has indicated he intends to run more trips now, which means the Royal Polaris will still have at its helm an outstanding skipper--and one who undoubtedly will not allow such dangerous horseplay.

“If people want to entertain themselves during that long ride, why can’t they just watch a movie?� he said on the day his boat returned with Heyn’s body stored in a freezer.

Loomis probably will keep working on the vessel in some capacity and in a year he can apply for administrative clemency to get his Master’s license back, if he so chooses.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean it will be granted,� Palmer said, adding that the application is subject to review by those at the top level of command in Washington.

“I can’t speculate as to whether he will get his license back, but this is obviously a case of a very serious nature--we were seeking outright revocation of his license.�

Time will tell, of course, and it eventually will heal the hurt being felt by those closely involved in this case--perhaps even Loomis, who was like a father to Heyn.

“He’s still quite shaken by this,� Palmer said. “He just wants to forget about the whole thing. He wishes it would go away.�

If there is any good to have come of this, it is that the goings-on aboard sportfishers figure to fall under greater scrutiny from now on--by everyone from landing operators to boat owners to captains and even the Coast Guard.

“I think things continue to get safer and safer as people learn from experiences,� Palmer said. “And the Coast Guard has done its part by making appropriate regulations when they need to be made to make things safer on the water.�

Meanwhile, two special funds have been established in Heyn’s name. The Friends of Rollo Memorial Fund hopes to raise money for an annual series of fishing trips for underprivileged children.

“Rollo always loved to help kids and to get them interested in fishing,� said Bob Fletcher, president of the Sportfishing Assn. of California, which represents the interests of sportfishing fleets in Southern California. “This will be something that he can look down on with a smile on his face.�

This fund will kick off its efforts at the Fred Hall Fishing Tackle and Boat Show, which runs Wednesday through Sunday at the Long Beach Convention Center. A booth has been donated by the Halls to sell T-shirts and accept donations of prizes to be sold via auction to raise money. The other fund is aimed at helping ease the financial burden on Heyn’s wife of five months, Stephanie. For details about either fund, call Fisherman’s Landing at (619) 221-8500.