
Ryan Roath: Racing With Purpose, Fueled by the Coast Guard’s Call
By Ben Deatherage KAMRAR, Iowa (Apr. 28, 2025) — Some race for trophies. Some race for adrenaline. Ryan Roath will be racing for something more this summer—a tribute to the U.S. Coast Guard, the branch that brought closure to his family after tragedy struck in 2018. That year, Roath’s life changed forever when his mother, Sandi Rader, was lost at sea while sailing her 53-foot ketch sailboat YachtCruz. She had acquired the boat in Florida and spent years cruising through the Caribbean and Panama. After the birth of her first granddaughter Parker, Sandi set sail for port in Chula Vista, California before getting to Arizona to meet her. But on January 7, 2018, she encountered a severe storm about 50 miles south of Ensenada, Mexico. The Mexican Navy received the initial distress signal and conducted a search without success. They then contacted the U.S. Coast Guard, who launched a 3,200-nautical mile search over several days. Eventually, they located the remains of his mother, bringing a measure of closure to an unthinkable loss. “I was sitting at work [Read More]