After 34 days at sea on passage from Los Angeles to Hawaii, the 63ft yacht “Midway Island” ran aground on Monday 3 February near Ale Ale’a Point, northwest of Hilo Harbor, Hawaii.

Published 5 years ago

As the yacht was thrown against the base of the sheer cliff off Wainaku scenic point and Honolii Beach Park, Hawaii firefighters airlifted the skipper of the yacht to safety. Fifteen fire personnel responded to the call at 5:33 p.m., and the first unit arrived on scene at 5:44 p.m. A rescue boat also responded.

Coast Guard Sector Honolulu watchstanders were alerted of the possible pollution threat from the grounded yacht and at first light Tuesday morning a HC-130 Hercules aircraft and crew launched to conduct an aerial assessment.

There is a maximum potential fuel load of 1,800 gallons of diesel aboard along with two marine batteries.

The Coast Guard working in partnership with the State of Hawaii and local officials continues to oversee assessment and mitigation efforts at this inaccesible site. They have set up a 100 yard safety zone for all marine traffic, in effect for a week after the grounding. The plan is to pump the diesel fuel into 55-gallon drums which will then be lifted by helicopter to a landing zone and transferred to a truck for disposal.

The cause of the “Midway Island’s” grounding is under investigation.

Further Reading:

• Star Advertiser – Man Sails Across Pacific and Crashes into Big Island Rocky Shoreline
• Coastguard News – Coast Guard Responds to Vessel Aground off Hilo Hawaii
• Maritime Executive – Pollution Abatement Begins for Grounded Sailing Vessel near Hilo

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Noonsite has not independently verified this information.