We’ve Got An Update On The Honolua Yacht Incident
And it isn’t pretty.
A couple weeks ago, you may have seen that the reef at Honolua Bay received an unwelcome addition — in the form of a poorly captained ship.
After speaking with Maui resident Ian Yannel, we’ve got an update on the situation and the extent of the reef damage.
From bow to stern, it sounds like a certified disaster.
“After waiting for calm weather and ocean conditions, the removal team’s tow rope broke.” Ian tells us. “Then they tried with a new rope and realized the tugboat was too small, so they went back to Oahu to get a bigger vessel. Divers finally freed the boat from the reef on March 5th, and on March 7th they towed it away hoping to get it to a Molokai harbor. It then started taking on a lot of water quickly, and at a depth of around 800 feet, it sank down to its final resting place. The whole ordeal has cost us taxpayers north of $400k. Hopefully we get it all recouped from the owner.”
After spending two weeks in heavy surf at Honolua Bay, the boat damaged about 20,000 square feet of reef — or 1,900 square meters.
Ian’s wife is part of a team of divers who saved about 100 pieces of (mostly antler) coral to take back to the Maui Marine Institute. Their goal is to hopefully cultivate and repopulate the damaged coral in Honolua and other areas around Maui.
Might need to hire Sean Doherty to get in there and start fighting people on the beaches.
Or maybe not.
The owner of the boat, Jim Jones, has said that he plans to take full responsibility for the cost of the salvage effort. “We’ve been talking to the DLNR to let them know we’re not leaving them with the bill,” Jones said.
These words have done little to cull the outrage of the local community.
“I feel his actions were extremely irresponsible,” said Maui County Council member Tamara Paltin. “I don’t think he fully understands how special a place Honolua is to so many of us and just how much aggravation he has caused our community.”
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