Rich said the boy, 13, and his parents were among a group of employees of AAA who were being rewarded for their work at company with a trip to Hawai'i.

A number of the tour group members were aboard the 45-foot Na Hoku II catamaran when its aluminum mast buckled and toppled over, pinning the boy against the boat's cabin and deck about 4:15 p.m. Friday.

Witnesses said crew members and passengers aboard the boat tried to free the boy but could not.

Firefighters who were taken to the boat managed to free him by using airbags. He was flown by helicopter to The Queen's Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

"It was supposed to be just a fun thing and it turned into a tragedy," Rich said.

She said her organization will meet with 22 people, almost all of whom were part of the AAA tour group and who were aboard the boat, at 10 a.m. today. The Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii is also helping the boy's family with funeral arrangements.

"One positive thing to come out of this is how supportive all of the AAA members have been — they are all pulling together," Rich said.

She said a AAA executive is planning to issue a statement later this morning.