Posted at 12:15 p.m., Friday, August 31, 2001

3 rescued after boat sinks

Advertiser Staff

A Coast Guard helicopter rescued three people today after their sailboat sunk in the Kaiwi Channel between Koko Head and La'au Point on Moloka'i, the Coast Guard said.

The three people were plucked from a life raft just before 10 a.m. and they were believed to be in good condition, the Coast Guard said.

A person on the sinking boat used a cellular phone to call the Honolulu Fire Department for help about 9:30 a.m., Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Richard Soo said.

The call was distorted and got cut off after a little while, said Soo, adding that the caller did say the sinking boat was a 42-foot white lancer. The Coast Guard said the boat was called the "Sentinel."