Search ongoing for lost boater
By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Kaua'i Bureau
LIHU'E, Kaua'i — The Coast Guard continued its search into last night for missing boater Mark Brewer, a fit and experienced waterman.
Brewer apparently was thrown or fell from his power catamaran Friday afternoon or evening while bringing it alone across the Ka'ie'ie Waho Channel. A decision is to be made this morning whether to continue the search, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Lauren Smith.
Brewer, 47, is a regular in sailing canoe and one-man paddling canoe races, both as a participant and as the operator of a safety escort boat.
He is one of Kaua'i's premier canoe paddlers, both in one-man canoes and traditional six-seaters. He has skippered winning crews in the Hawaiian Sailing Canoe Association's interisland races, and has won age division titles in one-man canoe races.
He used his catamaran to set turning buoys for races, and to accompany paddlers and sailors during races. He also often helped out paddlers by hauling their canoes atop the powerboat's structure, delivering canoes sometimes as far as between Kaua'i and Moloka'i.
His wife, Mary, is one of the state's top female paddlers, particularly in long-distance races. The couple placed second in the mixed division Feb. 2 in the Hinano Poai Puni Point Series canoe races.
Brewer was reported to have left Nawiliwili Harbor about 1 p.m. Friday headed for Ko Olina Harbor on O'ahu. He had planned to assist in a weekend canoe race. He was scheduled to arrive on O'ahu at 8 p.m.
He was alone in the boat, a 22-foot twin-hulled fiberglass powerboat, according to the Coast Guard. Seas were rough, but Brewer had made frequent crossings in the bright yellow boat, sometimes in rough conditions.
Search crews suspect that Brewer may have already fallen from the boat by 7:40 p.m. Friday. A Coast Guard H-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter, on a homeland security patrol, spotted the boat using night vision goggles at that time. The vessel appeared to be under power and operating erratically about 18.5 miles west of Wai'anae, said Coast Guard chief Tyler Johnson.
The catamaran's navigation lights were not on, and the Coast Guard crew could not determine whether anyone was at the boat's controls, Smith said. Since no missing boater report had been filed, the aircraft crew made a note of the location and returned to O'ahu to refuel before continuing the homeland security mission.
A Coast Guard C-130 aircraft relocated the boat, using radar, in roughly the same location about 11:10 p.m. Friday, but was also unable to determine whether anyone was aboard.
Brewer was not reported missing until 7 p.m. Saturday, when his son informed officials he had not received confirmation that his father had arrived at Ko Olina. A search was launched. The catamaran was located from the air at 2:43 p.m. Sunday, drifting 69 miles south of Wai'anae. An earlier report that it was taken in tow 16 miles from Wai'anae was incorrect, Johnson said.
The Coast Guard cutter Kittiwake arrived at the scene to find that there was no one on board, and no indication of how Brewer might have fallen overboard. An inspection indicated the fuel tanks attached to the engines were empty, the ignition key was on and the boat's throttles were in a full power position.
"The fact that the throttles were on full throttle and the key was on suggests that whatever happened was sudden and unexpected," Smith said.
There was extra fuel on board, as well as food and water, she said.
The Kittiwake took the catamaran in tow, and later transferred it to a Coast Guard utility boat, which towed it into Sand Island Monday morning.
One Coast Guard spokesman suggested the boat might have hit a large wave, throwing Brewer out. Without a harness and tether to attach him to the vessel, he would have quickly been left behind by his vessel.
The Coast Guard search Sunday through yesterday covered a large area in and around the channel between Kaua'i and O'ahu. Search craft have included a Coast Guard C-130 search plane and an H-65 helicopter, two Coast Guard Auxiliary Cessnas, two Coast Guard cutters, a 41-foot utility boat, a Navy P-3 Orion aircraft, and a Honolulu Fire Department helicopter.
Friends of Brewer hired a small civilian aircraft and conducted a search Monday. Civilian vessels have also been privately involved in the search.
Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808)245-3074.
