Updated at 7:03 p.m., Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Owner will attempt to free sailboat aground at Keehi
Advertiser Staff
The owner of a 32-foot sailboat grounded on mudflats near the entrance to Ke'ehi Harbor will attempt to free it at high tide tonight, according to state Department of Land & Natural Resources officials.The owner is taking responsibility to float the yacht Wind Rhyme off the flats with the help of friends, said DLNR spokeswoman Deborah Ward.
The sailboat ran aground at about 10:15 p.m., and the Honolulu Fire Department rescued three people who were aboard with the help of rescue-unit divers and its helicopter.
The yacht is lying on its side, Ward said. Its rudder is damaged but the hull is intact, according to Ward.
The Wind Rhyme is from Ke'ehi Small Boat Harbor.
The Coast Guard said the sailboat has 50 gallons of diesel fuel aboard, but nothing hazardous has spilled into the water.
PENCO Pacific Environmental Corp., meanwhile, has been hired by DLNR to free the 36-foot sloop TeraMoana, which is aground on a reef in Waikiki, about 200 yards off the Outrigger Reef Hotel.
Ward said the TeraMoana's owner did not have the money to do the job and turned ownership over to the state.
PENCO removed fuel from the sloop today and plans to rig it for floating tomorrow if there are no weather or surf problems. The plan is to bring the boat back to Ala Wai Boat Harbor.
