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Firefighters from the Honolulu Fire Department and the State of Hawaii’s Airport Rescue Fire Fighting Unit worked together to rescue four people aboard a saiboat in distress near Keehi Harbor on Saturday.
According to HFD, the first call for help came in at 7:54 p.m. to report a 30-foot vessel had run aground on the reef in an unmarked channel near the harbor entrance.
Five HFD units staffed with 16 personnel responded, along with ARFF’s Rescue Boat 3.
HFD arrived on scene at the Keehi Boat Ramp at 8:09 p.m., with Rescue Boat 3 responding to the reported approximate location of the sailboat about 1 1/3 miles off shore. ARFF personnel were able to make visual contact with four people aboard the ship at 8:30 p.m. and coordinated with HFD to shuttle them to ARFF’s boat via rescue paddleboard.
The two males and two females were then transferred to HFD’s Rescue 1 vessel and brought safely to shore at 9:57 p.m.
Honolulu Emergency Medical Services personnel were also on scene to evaulate the boaters, who were not injured and did not need further medical attention.
Ocean conditions on Saturday night did not allow for attempts to salvage the damaged vessel, so HFD took the boat captain’s information and relayed it to the U.S. Coast Guard for further guidance in removing the boat from the reef.
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