Sometimes the smallest things mean the most. For Steven Conway, that turned out to be an inexpensive emergency flashlight that could be attached to a life vest.

He bought it at local sporting goods store. Not likely to really need it, but you never know when a waterproof light might come in handy.

Then the keel fell off his boat Friday night and five guys suddenly were floating together in the Gulf of Mexico — five little dots bobbing in the water, all but invisible from an airplane or helicopter. Unless it's night, and there's intermittent blinking coming from the general vicinity of a capsized sailboat.

Conway's little light helped U.S. Coast Guard rescuers spot the group early Sunday morning. Soon they were safely aboard a helicopter heading back to Galveston, all save Roger Stone, whose dedication to getting two students out from under a capsizing boat ultimately cost him his own life.