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HAWAII NEWS NOW
An ambulance prepares to take a man airlifted from a disabled sailboat to the hospital Tuesday morning.
A Coast Guard boat attempting to rescue a disabled sailboat got into trouble in rough seas early Tuesday morning near Kaaawa and had to be rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter.
The Coast Guard boat lost power at 3:15 a.m. while attempting to tow the disabled 55-foot sailboat Doubloon off Laie, Coast Guard officials said in a news release.
A MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point arrived on scene at about 4:03 a.m. and airlifted the 72-year-old sail boat skipper and the four members of the 45-foot Coast Guard rescue boat to a rugby field at the Brigham Young University campus in Laie.
An ambulance took a man from the sailboat to the hospital in stable condition just after 5 a.m.
The Coast Guard said its crew reported no injuries and were in good condition.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
The 87-foot Coast Guard cutter Ahi was dispatched to the scene Tuesday morning to assess the situation and determine the best way to tow the disabled rescue vessel. The Coast Guard also plans another surveillance flight by one of its helicopters on Tuesday as part of its enviromental assessment of the situation.
Since there was no sign of the 55-foot sailboat Tuesday morning, Coast Guard officials say it may have sunk in the rough seas.
The incident began when the Doubloon reported problems at 9:49 p.m. Monday near Laie. Seas were about 10 feet. with 35 mph winds, according to the Coast Guard.
A 45-foot rescue boat with a four-member crew left the Coast Guard’s Sand Island station at 10:45 p.m and arrived on the scene at 1:45 a.m.
When the rescue boat became disabled and adrift in a surf zone, the crew dropped anchor and called for help.
The MH-65 Coast Guard Dolphin helicopter crew and a HC-130 Hercules airplane crew then launched from Barbers Point.
The Honolulu Fire Department also launched its rescue boat and helicopter as part of the joint rescue effort.
The Dolphin crew arrived on scene at 4:03 a.m. and hoisted all five mariners, who were wearing life jackets.
