Sunken boat's owner praised for safety measures

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Coast Guard officials are praising the owner of a boat that sank off of O'ahu yesterday for having emergency equipment and taking steps to prevent a tragedy.

The 46-foot vessel Sentinel was sailing 10 miles southeast of Koko Head yesterday morning when the crew discovered "uncontrollable flooding" in the engine room, Coast Guard spokeswoman Lt. Christina Deleon said. A distress signal was sent at about 9:20 a.m., and within 20 minutes the boat owner and two other passengers were on board a Coast Guard rescue helicopter.

Deleon said the Sentinel had all the proper emergency equipment needed to aid rescuers.

Soon after the flooding was discovered, the passengers evacuated to an orange eight-person life raft and the boat owner, Douglas Worrall, set off an emergency position indicating radio beacon, or EPIRB. A cellular phone also was used to call for help.

Fifteen minutes after the leak was discovered, the Sentinel sank. By then, a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter had been launched and was able to locate the raft without problems, Deleon said.

She said the emergency signals told the Coast Guard who owned the boat, where it is homeported and where the vessel was located. Deleon said it also helped that the EPIRB was brought on the raft.

"These guys were really well prepared and good for them," she said.

Neither the owner nor the two passengers could be reached last night.