Posted at 11:28 a.m., Tuesday, December 11, 2001

Pair rescued from boat off Moloka'i

Maui County fire rescue crews picked up a man and a woman from a disabled sailboat off Moloka'i yesterday. The boat, which had been adrift all night, was found this morning.

The boat's owner and a friend had taken it out off Kaunakakai when the motor failed and damage to the mast support precluded use of the sail. The owner asked a friend on Moloka' i to contact the Coast Guard, which then alerted the fire department.

A rescue crew spotted the 36-foot craft from shore and sent a boat to the location, about three miles offshore, in 8- to 10-foot swells. The couple used an inflatable boat to reach the rescue craft, about 20 feet away. They returned to shore at around 4:30 p.m., said fire Capt. Wren Wescoatt.

The boat was found this morning about 12 miles off the southwest point of Moloka'i.