Abandoned yacht washes up on Maui’s north shore
In this Oct. 29, 2011, photo, beachgoers stroll past the 49-foot sailboat Quantum Leap at Baby Beach in Spreckelsville, near Paia, Hawaii. Phillip Johnson was delivering the boat to Hawaii from San Diego when rough waters and heavy winds knocked the boat over 30 degrees, sending him flying across the galley and leaving him too injured to navigate the boat. He was later rescued by a cruise ship. (AP photo/Maui News, Chris Hamilton)
A yacht abandoned at sea when its injured captain needed to be rescued by a cruise ship has washed up on Maui’s north shore.
The Quantum Leap ended up on a reef off Maui’s Baby Beach in Spreckelsville last week. The Maui News reports the Coast Guard and the state were working to remove the wreck.
Phillip Johnson, 62 was delivering the boat to Hawaii from San Diego when he ran into bad weather. Rough waters and heavy winds knocked the boat over 30 degrees, sending him flying across the galley and leaving him too injured to operate the boat. The Hilo-bound cruise ship Celebrity Century rescued Johnson and two others on board Oct. 7 about 700 nautical miles northeast of Hawaii.
Coast Guard officials said they had brought in a team from Oahu to remove fuel, oil and other fluids from the wreck, the Maui News said. A state Department of Land and Natural Resources spokeswoman said thr agency was working on a plan to remove the vessel and determine who would be responsible to pay for the operation.
