Canoe and catamaran capsize in separate incidents off Maui

Maui-based Coast Guard crews responded to two unrelated cases of capsized boats Thursday and retrieved nine people, who were all unharmed, the Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard praised the boaters for remaining calm and having a way to communicate with the Coast Guard.

In the first case a 45-foot Coast Guard boat responded to a 2:35 p.m. distress call from the crew of a 40-foot catamaran that capsized 3 miles east of Lanai. The Coast Guard found the three boaters on top of their overturned hull and returned them to Lahaina.

The catamaran was left adrift and has the potential to release 12 gallons of fuel, the Coast Guard said. A Hazard to Navigation Broadcast Notice to Mariners was issued.

Then at 7:14 p.m. Maui firefighters contacted the Coast Guard about a capsized canoe 1 mile off of Keawakapu Beach.

The crew of a 45-foot Coast Guard boat recovered all six paddlers and towed their canoe back to the Kihei boat ramp.

In a statement, Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Anna Blanton said, “Both cases illustrate prepared crews who remained calm in adversity and most importantly had a means of communication with them to alert responders to their situation. We recommend all mariners leave word with friends or family describing where they’re going and when they plan to return and take multiple means of communication with them.”