Earlier this year, two vessels from PVA member Trilogy Excursions aided the U.S. Coast Guard to rescue 10 people off Maalaea, Maui. The rescue followed the collision of a 50ʹ sailboat and 10-person outrigger canoe in Maalaea Bay.
Coast Guard Sector Honolulu command center watchstanders received a call at 8:05 a.m. on VHF-FM channel 16 from the sailing vessel Winona reporting a collision with an outrigger canoe with 10 adults aboard. The operator of the Winona reported that three people were in the water.
The nearby Trilogy IV, a 65ʹ catamaran, rescued three people from the water and brought the remaining seven people from the outrigger canoe aboard their vessel. Boat crew members from Coast Guard Station Maui launched a 45ʹ response boat medium and arrived on scene at 8:13 a.m.
The boat crew transferred seven people, including a woman with a minor injury, aboard the RB-M, with three remaining aboard the Trilogy IV. After the Coast Guard crew helped dewater the Winona, they escorted the vessel back to Maalaea Harbor, where emergency medical services personnel were waiting.
The Trilogy II was able to refloat the outrigger canoe and tow it back to the Maui Canoe Club at Sugar Beach. Maui Fire Department Engine 6 and Maui Ocean Safety were also on scene.
“We are very grateful to the crews of the Trilogy IV and Trilogy II for assisting in this rescue,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Gaberiel Cortes, Sector Honolulu watchstander. “This rescue not only demonstrates how tight knit the boating community is in Hawaii, but also the importance of having a VHF radio on board your vessel or watercraft. The emergency radio call enabled the Coast Guard and other agencies to respond immediately.”