Capsized catamaran hauled out for repairs

Advertiser Staff

MA'ALAEA, Maui — A tour catamaran involved in a freak weather-related accident March 8 off Lana'i is in dry dock on Maui and could be out of commission for a month, Paragon Sailing Charters owner Eric Barto said.

Eight passengers and two crew members on a snorkeling sail were tossed into the ocean when a powerful gust flipped the 47-foot Paragon I as it was cresting a large ocean swell. The group was picked up by a fishing boat about three hours later while drifting 2 miles southwest of Lana'i.

A Pennsylvania woman suffered a broken collarbone and a slight concussion, but the other passengers escaped with scrapes and bruises.

The Paragon I was 15 miles southwest of Lana'i the following day with a broken mast and damage to the cabin, motor and other parts, Barto said yesterday. It was towed upside-down to Lana'i's Kaumalapau Harbor, where a Young Brothers crane was used to right the vessel, said Barto, who did not have a damage estimate.

The catamaran was then towed to Ma'alaea Harbor on Maui Saturday and hauled out for repairs, including replacement of its 58-foot mast.

It was the first accident in the company's 10-year history, Barto said.

"(The catamaran) was in the wrong place at the wrong moment for a freak wave and a huge gust of wind," he said.

The company is continuing operations using its Paragon II catamaran.