2 Boats Grounded off Maui: in Lahaina and La Perouse

Boat Grounded, Maui. Graphic by Wendy Osher/Maui Now.

By Maui Now Staff

Firefighters on Maui responded to two separate boat grounding incidents on Sunday, July 26, 2015.

A 20-foot fishing vessel was discovered on the rocks near La Perouse Bay in South Maui at around 4:56 a.m. by fire personnel who were dispatched to the scene.

Maui Fire Captain Paul Haake said the 70-year-old mariner aboard the vessel reported that he had launched about an hour earlier and was making his way to his fishing spot, when he ran into an unknown object floating in the water.  The accident caused his boat to lose power and drift into the rocks, according to department reports.

Fire personnel from  Station 14 out of Wailea, and rescue personnel from Station 10 in Kahului, as well as a Jetski unit assisted in the search.

The mariner was uninjured and was assisted back to the Kīhei boat ramp, the site of his original launch.  Fire officials say the man planned to meet with friends to work on recovery of the boat.

Also on Sunday, a 30-foot sailboat was found on a reef just inside the wave break fronting 505 Front Street at around 3:08 p.m.

Fire personnel say the boat broke from its mooring and no one was aboard at the time of the incident.  According to department reports, crews were unable to assist further, and the vessel was left as found.

Crews responding to the scene included personnel from Engine 3, Ladder 3, and Jetski 3 out of Lahaina.