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Luxury yacht finally freed from Maui near-shore reef only to sink in 800 feet of water

Nearly two weeks after a 120-ton, 94-foot luxury yacht grounded in Honolua Bay on Maui, a salvage ship and a tugboat from Honolulu finally freed the vessel named Nakoa from the rocky shoreline.

But there is no happy ending for the yacht.

It is now at the bottom of the ocean, about 800 feet deep.

The multimillion-dollar yacht had suffered severe holes in the hull during the days it was grounded, with the rough surf pounding it repeatedly against the rocks of the shoreline.

“It had taken on water, was listing starboard and riding bow high after being pulled free by a tractor tug early this afternoon,” according to the state Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation.

The yacht sank.

It was the end to an ordeal that began nearly two weeks ago when the yacht grounded just outside the Honolua-Mokulē‘ia Bay Marine Life Conservation District. Although the area has day-use moorings with a time limit of two hours, yacht owner Jim Jones told media that he didn’t know the rules  and stayed overnight with his family when one of the lines snapped and the boat hit the rocks.

It has been quite the ordeal to salvage the boat.

Once the boat stated leaking fuel, the U.S. Coast Guard federalized the vessel, meaning it has jurisdiction over the yacht which cannot be moved until all hazardous material was removed .

When that process was done the state Department of Land and Natural Resources took over because Jones said he did not have the money to pay for the salvage operation. The state organized and is paying for the operation, but will be sending Jones a bill, which initially was for $460,000 plus. But that will be sure to go up due to all the problems encountered during the salvage.

Once the hazardous material was removed, Visonary Marines’s salvage ship Kahi from Honolulu tried to removed the yacht from the reef but failed after multiple pulls. Sause Brothers’ tractor tug Mary Catherine was called in from Honolulu to help, but the second attempt with both boats also failed. Then bad weather forced both salvage boats to return to Honolulu.

They returned to Maui on Saturday.

A crew from the salvage ship rigged lines to the yacht Nakoa   all day Saturday and Sunday morning to prepare for the third attempt.

Prior to the 3,300-horsepower tug hooking up, the salvage crew used a carbon cutter to free either the yacht’s prop or rudder, believed to be the reason earlier attempts did not succeed, according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

On Sunday, there were ideal weather and ocean conditions for the complex and costly operation. Once the tug turned the boat 90 degrees it pulled out into deeper water. 

“The yacht was listing to one side and riding bow high and it’s unknown at this time whether it was successfully pulled all the way to Honolulu or had to be scuttled in 1,000-foot-deep water offshore,” the Department and Land and Natural Resources said.

Department Chair Dawn Chang watched the salvage operation on Sunday with Maui Mayor Richard Bissen and Maui County Council member Tamara Paltin. Chang said she heard almost immediately from Randy Cates, the owner and operator of Visionary Marine. 

“I’m beyond words,” Chang said. “I extended our appreciation to him and his crew for doing a tough, thankless job when others in the industry were questioning the wisdom of taking it on. We all thought today was it. It was either going to happen or not. I’m extremely pleased.” 

Chang said the state will aggressively pursue recouping all salvage costs from the owner, which originally were set at $460,000 plus before delays and the need for a second boat were included in the cost.

It also does not include the cost to repair damage to coral reefs and live rock. A team from the state Division of Aquatic Resources will return to the grounding location this week to conduct a post-incident damage assessment. 

To read more about yacht tales in Hawai’i waters involving a pop star, Russian oligarch, coral wrecker and thief, click here .

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Maui Yacht Owner: ‘I Didn’t Know What I Was Getting Into’

Jim Jones says he wants to make things right, but former employees and Maui residents say he shouldn't have a boat.

Jim Jones says he wants to make things right, but former employees and Maui residents say he shouldn’t have a boat.

The owner of a luxury yacht that ran aground last month in Honolua Bay is trying to salvage his reputation as efforts continue this week to remove his 94-foot Sunseeker from a delicate reef off Maui.

“We are taking full responsibility for this,” Noelani Yacht Charters owner Jim Jones said Thursday. “We’re not running.”

That assurance may not be enough to persuade Maui politicians, community advocates and local mariners who say he shouldn’t stay in business at all. Several of his former workers have said he repeatedly ignored state boating regulations and skirted recommended safety practices, to the point where multiple people who worked with Jones said they quit because of risky behavior.

“He shouldn’t be allowed to have a boat,” a former worker said, speaking on the condition of anonymity .

Jones said he started out with a dream to buy a boat. A woodworker by trade, he began looking for one a few years ago around Honolulu and first set his eyes on a 65-footer — a “big monster boat.”

But his friend, a boat captain, cautioned him against getting one so big for his first vessel. Plus, harbors to store boats of that size are scarce in Hawaii. Where would he put it?

So Jones kept looking until 2020, when he settled on what he thought was the perfect opportunity: a 74-foot yacht that came with its own slip in Kewalo Basin Harbor. It had been used for charters in the past, and by renting it out in the future, Jones hoped it would pay for itself. The owner agreed to let him pay it off over time, sealing the deal.

In the height of the pandemic, Jones began pouring his resources into marketing and establishing a “luxury yacht image,” equipped with private chefs, bartenders and local musicians. 

“I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what I was getting into. I just figured it was something to pay the bills,” Jones said. “And then once this thing took off, we’re going, ‘Holy shit.’”

Now Jones is trying to assure government officials and the community that he will cover the cost of a nearly $500,000 salvage job .

On Feb. 20, Jones said he was on a family outing, spending the weekend in Honolua Bay, when his mooring line failed while attached to a mooring that’s only allowed to be used for two hours at a time.

The Nakoa, a 94-foot yacht that Jones said he brought to Hawaii in December, ended up drifting onto the reef. By the next day, the hull had been punctured, and diesel fuel spilled into the water leading into one of Maui’s most beloved marine sanctuaries . 

In the days that followed, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources announced that it was putting up $460,000 to try to haul the 120-ton yacht away. But after unsuccessful attempts and delays because of stormy weather, the yacht remained on Thursday evening.

DLNR officials said earlier this week that the salvage ship Kahi, operated by Visionary Marine, will return to Maui on Friday or Saturday. 

“We’ve been talking to the DLNR to let them know we’re not leaving them with the bill,” Jones said.

Jones said he was working with his insurance company to cover the cost. Asked to provide a copy of his coverage, he declined, citing the current investigation into the incident. He said he didn’t know the specifics of his insurance policy or how much it covered. 

“I feel his actions were extremely irresponsible,” said Maui County Council member Tamara Paltin, who has long fought to protect Honolua Bay. “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.” 

As Jones works with attorneys, insurance agents and the state, he said he’s also determined to make amends with the Maui community and work to restore his company’s reputation. Since the incident in Honolua, he said he’s continued to run charters on his Oahu-based yacht, the Noelani, which will help him pay the debts he owes. 

But the Noelani has its own history of problems. The boat caught fire in Kewalo Basin Harbor in October, according to the Honolulu Fire Department.

Asked about the incident, Jones said the fire broke out in a guest suite, just as he was flying out of state to purchase the Nakoa. He blamed the fire on incandescent light bulbs that are common in older boats. Fortunately, he said, the Honolulu Fire Department responded and contained the fire from spreading out of the room. 

“When I first got a boat, my friends were telling me, ‘No, don’t get a boat; it’s nonstop problems,’” Jones said. “There’s constantly stuff going on.”

But mariners interviewed by Civil Beat say fires aren’t one of the nonstop problems boat owners regularly face.

“I can’t think of a reported fire incident in Maalaea Harbor in the 40 years I’ve been here,” said Michael Wildberger, a captain on Maui who’s run thousands of snorkel tours.

Catering To The Jet Set

After buying his first yacht in 2020, Jones said he quickly realized that catering to the ultra-wealthy in search of day trips on megayachts was an untapped market in Hawaii. High-end hotels were looking for luxury activities to send their clients on, Jones said.

In his marketing strategy, he made it clear: Noelani Yacht Charters wasn’t a basic fishing or snorkeling charter. His website advertises trips on Maui starting at $9,800 . 

“We cater to these guys that are flying in on their private jets,” Jones said. 

For almost two years, Jones grew his business with the Noelani, until he found an investor willing to help him acquire the Nakoa, the vessel that ran aground last month.

At first, Jones said he thought the investor would pay the transportation costs to have the Nakoa sent to Hawaii from overseas. When the investor suddenly said he wouldn’t cover that cost, Jones said he put up the money for the transport, which meant he missed out on paying almost $290,000 for the final payment he owed for the Noelani.

He was later sued for not making that payment, as well as failing to pay back $100,000 he borrowed from another person to pay for the Noelani.

Jones downplayed the lawsuits, calling them mutual agreements and “just records of the payment plans that we’ve created.”

With the Nakoa, Jones dreamed of expanding his business to allow multinight charters to Maui, where he planned to whisk clients away to snorkel trips around Molokini or head over to Hulopoe Bay on Lanai. He said he discovered Honolua Bay during trips on the Noelani, describing it as a place he couldn’t believe he could visit with a yacht of that size. 

Jones said he took his family to Honolua for a holiday weekend last month, and tied up at the mooring that’s only supposed to be used for two hours at a time. Asked if he was aware of the rule, Jones said was never informed of it by the Coast Guard or DLNR but had been “getting flak from day one” from Maui tour companies in the bay. 

“When you have the same company coming in, they’re switching boats every two hours,” he said. “What’s the difference of that versus us just staying there?”

It’s not the only law that community members have complained about Noelani Yacht Charters allegedly violating.

A month before the Nakoa ran aground, Tina Wildberger, South Maui’s former state lawmaker, wrote to DLNR about a dinghy shuttling passengers between the yacht and Kihei Boat Ramp, which she said isn’t allowed without a permit.

“There’s some serious high end pirate action happening here with these yachts,” Wildberger said in her January email to DLNR. “Does this vessel have a special permit to pick up passengers at Kihei Boat Ramp today?”

The next day, Wildberger got her answer: The boat didn’t have a special permit. 

Jones said he often stopped at Kihei Boat Ramp to make crew runs, including going to Ace Hardware. He denied picking up passengers though. He said that he doesn’t have a commercial permit for the Nakoa, but that he operates his business in a way that allows him to get around that. 

“That’s a whole other gray area,” Jones said.

His first boat, the Noelani, has a commercial permit. But Jones said he ran the Nakoa with a workaround called “bareboat charters.” That means that he rents the boat out to people without providing any crew. Instead, he can suggest when they rent the boat that the clients hire the crew that he’s vetted ahead of time. It’s a business model that’s popular among yacht rental businesses.

For now, Jones said he’ll keep running tours on the Noelani out of Oahu while charting his next steps. He’s hoping to find a replacement for the Nakoa and continue his expansion to Maui — if residents will have him.

“I’m hoping that we can meet everybody personally, to apologize to them face to face — let them know that and show them that I am local,” Jones said. “I think once we talk, they’ll realize I’m just like them.”

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by grants from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation and the Fred Baldwin Memorial Foundation.

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Maui officials: Luxury yacht that ran aground near marine sanctuary leaked fuel into bay

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Maui officials confirmed the luxury yacht grounded near a marine sanctuary leaked fuel into the bay.

The 94-foot vessel got stuck on the reef on Monday at Honolua Bay. The extent of the leak is unknown at this time, and it’s prompting calls for action.

“The whole community is kind of little disturbed ... it’s just kind of shocking ... from an environmental aspect,” said West Maui resident Darren McDaniel. “So many people that have given so much of their heart and soul into taking care of this place, makes me teary eyed.”

On Tuesday, a sheen of diesel fuel was visible in waters surrounding the boat and people nearby complained of the stench of fuel in the air.

“People are angry. People are pissed. That’s for sure,” said Napili resident Mike Jucker. “It is very sad.”

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), and a private contractor are trying to dislodge the 94-foot Nakoa and prevent any more pollution.

“Honolua Bay is in our Marine Life Conservation District. It’s got a wealth of marine life. It’s important environmentally, ecologically, culturally. And of course, also from ocean user point of view, it has a high recreation value. This is one of the most popular waves on Maui,” said Lauren Blickley, Surfrider Foundation Hawaii Regional Manager.

DLNR officials said the yacht can’t be moved until all fuel, batteries, and any other pollutants on board are removed. That process may involve a helicopter and is expected to take at least through Wednesday.

“What I understand, there’s no boom, which is used to contain an oil spill, or fuel spill. There’s no boom readily available on Maui. So, it’s having to be flown or shipped in from Oahu,” said DLNR Senior Communications Manager Dan Dennison. “That may take a little while.”

DLNR officials said it will likely be a few more days before the vessel is freed from the rocks and reef.

“Once the fuel and other potential hazards are removed, the USCG will release the vessel back to the owner. At that time, he will need to provide the DLNR an acceptable salvage plan for the vessel’s removal,” Dennison said.

DLNR said it’s investigating what led to the Nakoa grounding and citations and fines could be levied based on the findings of that investigation.

“This morning, a team from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) did an initial underwater assessment of potential damage to coral reefs and live rock. Divers noted an estimated 30 coral and live rock were damaged but will need to return to do a more thorough assessment once the vessel is removed. Based on those findings, the boat’s owner could face significant penalties as determined by the State Board of Land and Natural Resources. Corals and live rock (other non-coral reef organisms) are protected by State law,” said Dennison.

DLNR said active leaks have stopped because one of the owner’s friends managed to board the yacht and shut off all the pumps.

The Coast Guard said the Federal On-scene Coordinator opened the National Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund “federalizing efforts to mitigate potential pollution to the environment.”

Maui County issued an emergency permit allowing special equipment to remove the yacht to prevent further damage to the reef and the ecosystem.

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. issued a statement on the incident:

“I spoke with Governor Green today and shared the concerns our community has on what has happened at Honolua Bay and the need to expedite response efforts to protect the marine sanctuary and remove the grounded vessel. I share those concerns as well. I also received an update from DLNR director Dawn Chang that outlined the department’s actions and next steps requiring the involvement of the U.S. Coast Guard. I’ve conveyed that this is a serious matter and appreciate the attention of the Governor and his administration to address the situation. I understand that this is under the jurisdiction of State and Federal agencies and I’ve been assured that their efforts are being done urgently. I’ve assigned senior staff to carefully monitor the situation and offer support when appropriate.”

The owner of a luxury yacht has apologized.

Jim Jones, the owner of Noelani Yacht Charters, told Hawaii News Now he was anchored offshore with his family for the past two days, and then something went wrong at around 5:45 a.m. Monday.

“While we’re underneath the boat during our pre-check, the mooring line broke,” said Jones.

“As we come out of the boat, it was too late.”

Jones said he’s sorry for running aground at Honolua Bay and added that no negligence was involved.

“It was a freak accident and worst timing ever,” said Jones. “We couldn’t have done anything about this, and we’re doing everything we possibly can to try to get off of here.”

The 94-foot boat called The Nakoa is stuck in a prime surf spot and near a marine sanctuary where Honolua Coalition has been opposing developments and protecting the bay for nearly 15 years.

“It is a terrible optic, it’s just something you just would dream of never seeing, and it happened today,” said John Carty of Honolua Coalition.

”We’re hoping for the best that the damage can be minimized.”

The nonprofit Malama Kai Foundation said the public is allowed to use Day-use Moorings Buoys on a first-come, first serve basis with a two-and-a-half hour time limit.

Jones said he wasn’t warned of the rules and stayed there for two days.

“There’s nobody that contacted us ever about, ‘hey, you can’t be in this bay, you can’t hook up to an anchor here,’” said Jones. “And so, if somebody would have said that, we would have got out of here.”

Maui Community Advocate Tiare Lawrence is asking for the State to step up.

“Really push forward and passing sensible legislation to protect these places and to enforce,” said Lawrence. “There’s a lack of enforcement, we hear it all the time, and they really need to step up.”

Jones said they’re hoping to be out by 4 a.m. on Tuesday when it’s supposed to be high tide. The company will have to pay for the removal costs.

Maui County issued the following statement:

“In response to the increasing risk of damage to the reef and ecosystem at Honolua Bay, a marine sanctuary in West Maui, the County of Maui exercised its ability to issue an emergency Special Management Area permit that would allow equipment to access the site via the shoreline and assist in dislodging the vessel from the reef it is resting on and enable it to reach deeper water to exit the area. The emergency permit, authorized by Acting Planning Director Kathleen Ross Aoki was issued late this afternoon following discussions with West Maui Councilmember Tamara Paltin and the excavation company. This action comes after attempts during an afternoon high tide failed. The State must still issue a corresponding permit for the work that also involves DLNR jurisdiction beginning at the high water mark and into the ocean. We are pleased to be able to rapidly respond to a situation in dire need. The longer the vessel remains in the sensitive area the higher the risk of damage.”

Despite an offer from a private excavation company and an emergency permit provided by Maui County, the land department said it does not currently plan to issue a permit allowing an excavator to try and push the boat out from land.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright 2023 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

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Extensive coral damage from luxury yacht that ran aground off Maui

KAPALUA, Hawaii — The Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources sent divers to the site where a luxury yacht ran aground off Maui and found damage to nearly 20,000 square feet of coral and live rock.

What You Need To Know

A team with the division of aquatic resources assessed damage from when the yacht ran aground and when it was dragged off the flat reef into deeper water during the intitial grounding, 19 coral colonies were damaged when the boat was dragged off the reef, two parallel scars damaged 101 coral colonies dlnr said the yacht’s owner is responsible for costs related to salvaging the yacht and damaging coral.

The yacht, Nakoa, ran aground just outside the Honolua-Mokuleia Marine Life Conservation District two weeks ago and was finally freed on Sunday after three attempts. It then sank in 800 feet of water, where it will remain. 

The four-person DAR team assessed both initial damage from when the vessel was grounded and scars from when the boat was dragged off the flat reef surface into deeper water. 

The assessment revealed that, during the initial grounding, 19 coral colonies were damaged. 

From when the boat was dragged off the reef, there are two parallel scars that extend 246 feet into the water. The first 49 feet comprises deep, trench-like scars, which are about 16 feet apart. In this area, the DAR team found 101 damaged coral colonies, and damage to live rock covering nearly 2,099 square feet. 

After DAR completed the assessment, a team with the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute collected more than 100 fragments from damaged coral. The team plans to recover more fragments soon. The Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute will grow out the coral fragments at its lab for future coral restoration projects. 

The Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute team also identified colonies of dislodged corals that will be reattached when the weather improves. 

DLNR said the yacht’s owner is responsible for costs related to salvaging the yacht and damaging coral and live rock. The salvage company and tug company will not be held responsible for any damage. 

A final version of the assessment will be presented to the Board of Land and Natural Resources. DAR will also recommend fines and penalties for the damage. 

Michelle Broder Van Dyke  covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at  [email protected] .

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Sunken yacht to be left on seafloor for now

Dlnr, community planning discussions on future shipwreck response, prevention.

The yacht Nakoa is seen listing before it sank in waters about 800 feet deep some 3 miles off the Maui coastline on Sunday afternoon. With the yacht on the seafloor and no plans on the state’s end to haul it back up, state officials and community members are turning their focus to discussions on improving shipwreck prevention and response. Photo courtesy DLNR

Saying that removal would be costly and impacts from the fuel-drained boat “should be minimal,” state officials said there are no plans at this time to pull a 94 foot-long luxury yacht that sank to the seafloor Sunday afternoon in West Maui, though they are planning discussions on how “to fill gaps” in shipwreck responses and prevention.

The cost to pull the 120-ton yacht, the Nakoa, from the seafloor would be “extremely expensive and complicated,” said Dan Dennison, spokesperson for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. The state has already shelled out at least $460,000 for the salvage work and said Sunday it plans to “aggressively pursue recouping all salvage costs from the owner.”

The Nakoa was grounded on rocks and reef at Honolua Bay for two weeks before it was finally freed by a rigging crew over the weekend, leaving many in the community upset over the physical environmental damage to the marine habitat, pollution to the ocean from the initial fuel leak, lack of enforcement in the bay and shipwreck prevention measures.

After multiple attempts, the salvage ship Kahi, which is operated by Visionary Marine LLC, and a tractor tug called the Mary Catherine, operated by Sause Brothers Inc. of Honolulu, pulled the Nakoa off nearshore rocks when there was a higher tide, DLNR’s Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation said Sunday. The salvage company and tug operators dealt with bad weather and rough sea conditions that stalled work prior to the salvage.

During towing, the yacht was listing as it took on water and eventually sank in about 800 feet of water about 3 miles off the coastline.

“As for the environmental impacts associated with the scuttling, they should be minimal, as all fuel and hazardous materials had been previously removed by a contractor working under the direction of the U.S. Coast Guard,” Dennison said Monday morning. “The salvage contractor collected any items that were on the surface or floated up.”

DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources will be conducting an assessment of the nearshore coral and live rock this week where the yacht was grounded, weather permitting, Dennison said. An earlier assessment found that an estimated 30 coral and live rock had been damaged.

The DLNR will also be hosting an internal briefing to “identify gaps or challenges related to our response,” he added.

“Our voluminous media output has kept the community and the entire world informed about this grounding, every step of the way,” he said.

Yacht owner Jim Jones, who also runs Noelani Yacht Charters and now owes the state at least $460,000 in salvage costs, could not be immediately reached Tuesday. Jones has told Civil Beat that he intends to pay the bill.

Noelani Yacht Charters told The Maui News last month that the yacht passengers were on a family outing in Honolua Bay over Presidents Day weekend when the mooring line broke while attached to what DOBOR described as a two-hour-only mooring.

DOBOR does not regulate the day use moorings at Honolua Bay, so the department does not issue permits for those particular moorings. 

Saying the “disaster” was preventable, longtime shoreline access and environmental activist Kai Nishiki said that public trust resources, such as shorelines, coral reefs and the ocean, are not being protected from exploitation and tourism.

“If you look at most land-based businesses, there are rules, parking requirements for guests, health and safety inspections, and infrastructure capacity is considered, but not so when it comes to the ocean and shoreline,” Nishiki said Monday. “It’s just the Wild West out there.”

She added: “If the state DLNR does not have the capacity to properly protect the public trust, then all commercial activity should cease until we are confident and it can be demonstrated that appropriate measures are in place.”

Many folks have also expressed their frustrations over the amount of miscellaneous items floating through the channel and the damage to the pristine coral reef where the boat sat, fueling ongoing agitation over commercial activity in the bay.

“Commercial use of our shoreline and ocean is out of control, our public trust resources and our communities are suffering, while commercial operators are making bank,” Nishiki said.

The Save Honolua Coalition will be meeting with the community and decision makers to discuss next steps, Maui County Council Member Tamara Paltin said Monday afternoon. Paltin, who holds the West Maui residency seat, is also president of the coalition.

As the council chairperson of the Disaster, Resilience, International Affairs and Planning Committee, Paltin said she’s also tentatively planning a maritime disaster meeting on March 22 to meet with DLNR’s various divisions so that they can “educate the council and the public on their role in preventing shipwrecks, their role once a shipwreck occurs.”

With the information, amendments or new legislation could be introduced that would “help to improve shipwreck responses from prevention to final cleanup,” Paltin said via phone Monday afternoon.

She’ll also be working with Maui state representatives, like West Maui Sen. Angus McKelvey and Rep. Elle Cochran, to see what legislation improvements are possible at the state level, what gaps need to be filled and how to strengthen enforcement.

“Obviously we’re going to need to do a lot of community outreach,” Paltin said.

On Sunday, Paltin watched as rigging crews tugged the leaning Nakoa out of Honolua Bay and down toward D.T. Flemings before it eventually was scuttled.

“If the owner had called the salvage crew on day one when it happened, when he first knew, it would have been a much better situation,” she said.

Though the salvage did not end perfectly, Paltin said that she was happy that the weather cleared with enough time to at least get the yacht off and away from the delicate reef and neighboring bays.

“To me, once he pulled it off the reef, I wanted it to get as far away from Honolua as possible because I didn’t want it to end up somewhere it could have been pushed with a future swell into the cave and damage the reef at a later point,” she said. “All those bays up and down the coast are precious to me. By the time they got the yacht far out to sea, it was already so far under.”

* Dakota Grossman can be reached at [email protected].

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Motor Yacht ‘Nakoa’ Aground in Maui Freed, Then Sinks

After breaking free from a mooring and drifting onto the rocks in a marine reserve in Maui more than two weeks ago, a nearly 100-ft motor yacht was finally extracted from shore by a salvage team, but sank a short time later in open water.

Prior to the sinking of the  Nakoa , a 94-ft, 120-ton 2004 Sunseeker 94, Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources said in a statement that the salvage operation in Honolua Bay “would end in one of two ways: either with the yacht towed all the way to Honolulu, around 90 nautical miles away, or she would have to be scuttled en route due to numerous holes along her hull,” Boat International reported .

Clearly, it was the latter.

The Boating and Ocean Recreation division of the DLNR reported that Nakoa was scuttled in 800 feet of water. “It had taken on water, was listing starboard and riding bow high after being pulled free by a tractor tug early this afternoon,” the DLNR stated in a press release .

After  Nakoa  went aground in early February about 700 feet outside the Honolua-Mokulēʻia Bay Marine Life Conservation District, around 470 gallons of petroleum products and 14 marine batteries were recovered from the yacht, “with helicopters transporting 55-gallon drums of fuel from the boat to a staging area where it could be disposed of,” according to Boat International .

But there was clearly spillage in the wake of Nakoa’s grounding, as seen in photos. The DLNR found damage to around 30 coral heads and live rock. The Nakoa was one of two luxury yachts owned by Noelani Yacht Charters, according to Hawaii Public Radio. The DNLR said that the owner could face “hefty penalties because coral in this area is protected by State Law.”

Clearly, there is some work to be done by lawyers and bureaucrats.

The Nakoa’s grounding raised the ire and righteous indignation of people in the boating world. Check out Letters  in the April issue of  Latitude 38 to hear from Latitude Nation , including one marine salvager in Hawaii who described the perils of the industry.

“A tremendous amount of respect is owed to all those that chose to stick their neck out rendering assistance to the Nakoa yacht. I have seen how all too often marine salvage ends up being a thankless job in which one has to drop everything else at a moment’s notice while taking on massive liabilities doing work that is physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting,” said David Demarest, the manager of Giraffe Maui Marine Salvage & Supply, LLC.

“There are ways to skillfully minimize the high risk of personal injury, death, or substantial environmental harm while conducting a marine salvage operation, but as things currently are, all the substantial time and money, along with wear and tear on gear, oftentimes end up being put out in good faith only to have an owner and/or their insurance company refusing to appreciate, let alone pay for, services rendered in a timely manner.”

14 Comments

If only they had a can of Flex Seal!

Amateur recovery from start to finish! Ask any salver in Alaska and they will say the operation from start to finish was poorly planned, horribly activated and the end result was predictable weeks ago . Now it’s cleanup time and perhaps a thought to how this could have been avoided !

I greatly appreciate Tim’s coverage of this important issue, and I respect Ken’s deep frustration at how the salvage effort turned out. Despite not being involved in the salvage, it still weighs on me to have personally assessed the scene on the evening of Day 1 and on Day 2 only to strongly believe there was no way I could offer to help without becoming enmeshed in a massive lose-lose situation and likely years of litigation. I don’t personally know enough critical facts as they were known throughout the process to fairly judge the salvage effort of the Nakoa grounding at Honolua Bay, especially given the tendency of hindsight being 20/20. But with that said, what I do know is timely action by salvors on Maui is all too often actively punished by vessel owners and/or their insurance companies implementing what amounts to a “Deny, Delay, Defend” strategy to avoid timely payment of clear liabilities. The ongoing case Demarest v. Alfouadi, Hawai’i District Court Case Number 1:22-cv-00064 involves an environmental salvage and wreck removal my team conducted over a year ago for a State Farm insured vessel in which a claim was not even opened until well after the filing of the case… I find it untenable some vessel owners and their insurance companies choose to squander the most critical time of a marine incident attempting to negotiate down their liabilities instead of working towards what is truly everyone’s best interest.

Ken, What went wrong in your opinion. Could the boat have been saved if approached differently.

See above. Put wrong website.

It definitely is a roll of the dice ,and the larger the value the more tenacious an insurance company can be .it’s been 17 years since I lost my cal -29 and the circumstances were for more tragic . But Parker salvage and my insurance company couldn’t have worked together more smoothly . It certainly helped to have an adjuster who was a fellow sailor.

A salvage operation in Hawaii is complicated by the lack of resources on neighboring islands to deal with larger vessels. Oahu does, but the trip takes hours and the conditions can be difficult at times. Time is of the essence for grounded vessels and one thing can be done within the first day to minimize damage. Basic seamanship says to set anchors to windward to keep the vessel from moving to shore and shallower water. A vessel this size should have had at least two sets of anchors, chains and rope, and a dinghy to accomplish this basic task. Knowing the Island people. no doubt there are people that came to the aid and would likely assist. If that was done perhaps the salvors the next day would be only faced with patching and pumping flooded compartments or using airbags or similar devices to float the vessel off the rocks.

In the case of Nahoa, in his own words, the owner said he had no idea of what he was getting into, that sure sounded like he had virtually no experience and this situation was more than he could handle. Some people learn the hard way

The State will no doubt pay for another expensive Salvage and Wreck Removal as the owner did not put work in hand. If rumors are true, he violated a policy warranty that the vessel had to be operated by a licensed captain. One thing I learned in my role as a marine insurance broker, make the first salvage effort the best you have as the vessel dies with every tide cycle. After the first failed effort the salvage became a wreck removal and scuttling at sea was the only option.

I followed this from the beginning. I think at that time it was made clear that there were no resource available on the island or any where near to handle this sort of thing.

I am a retired Commercial Marine Insurance of some 40 years (30 years in Hawaii) and participated in more vessel sinkings and grounding than I can remember. The first rule of law at the time of the casualty is to ‘act as a prudent self-insured (remember the Insurers do not put work in hand). Hire an experienced Marine surveyor and they will know the best salvors, who will be hired under your name and proceed to mount their best effort knowing that time is of the essence. At the same time contact your insurers, they will either accept your choice of surveyor or hire their own. In a large casualty, you can expect daily briefings involving the owner, surveyor(s), Harbors, Fish & Game, and the Coast Guard. This detail might not apply to yachts but the same principles apply to the responsibility of the owners to respond. Not to toot my own horn, but by placing the vessel insurance through a local Marine Insurance broker, who can use his resources and give advice, a lot of the mistakes made can be eliminated.

I would think they would have had pumps that could have kept it afloat. Some inflatable pontoons? I’m definitely not an expert but play one on the intrawebs

With the wreck so close to the beach and aground over much of the hull, there was likely no way to patch it sufficiently for it to withstand a tow supported by float bags and pumps. If Nakoa was a steel hull she would have likely survived two weeks but being fiberglass, it was likely a constructive total loss (cost to repair the vessel more than the insured value) at its place on the beach. I think the tow ended as planned with the State who has paid the bill so far, happy to see the vessel off its shores.

The boat owner violated every rule in the book, from mooring overnight at a 2 hour day use only mooring; failing to anchor; failing to have a licensed captain on board; failing to know and/or implement proper protocol once the event occurred; and probably more. He has already thumbed his nose at the notion that he will step up to his financial responsibility. Is it even known if he has insurance? If so, what is the likelihood it will even approach the financial consequences of his reckless conduct? Can criminal charges be brought? Can he be precluded from ever owning another boat? This is outrageous!

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94-foot yacht freed from Maui rocky shoreline only to sink 800 feet deep

Nearly two weeks after a 120-ton, 94-foot luxury yacht grounded in Honolua Bay on Maui, a salvage ship and a tugboat from Honolulu finally freed the vessel named Nakoa from the rocky shoreline.

But there is no happy ending for the yacht.

It is now at the bottom of the ocean, about 800 feet deep.

The multimillion-dollar yacht had suffered severe holes in the hull during the days it was grounded, with the rough surf pounding it repeatedly against the rocks of the shoreline.

“It had taken on water, was listing starboard and riding bow high after being pulled free by a tractor tug early this afternoon,” according to the state Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation.

The yacht sank.

It was the end to an ordeal that began nearly two weeks ago when the yacht grounded just outside the Honolua-Mokulē‘ia Bay Marine Life Conservation District. Although the area has day-use moorings with a time limit of two hours, yacht owner Jim Jones told media that he didn’t know the rules  and stayed overnight with his family when one of the lines snapped and the boat hit the rocks.

It has been quite the ordeal to salvage the boat.

Once the boat stated leaking fuel, the U.S. Coast Guard federalized the vessel, meaning it has jurisdiction over the yacht which cannot be moved until all hazardous material was removed .

When that process was done the state Department of Land and Natural Resources took over because Jones said he did not have the money to pay for the salvage operation. The state organized and is paying for the operation, but will be sending Jones a bill, which initially was for $460,000 plus. But that will be sure to go up due to all the problems encountered during the salvage.

Once the hazardous material was removed, Visonary Marines’s salvage ship Kahi from Honolulu tried to removed the yacht from the reef but failed after multiple pulls. Sause Brothers’ tractor tug Mary Catherine was called in from Honolulu to help, but the second attempt with both boats also failed. Then bad weather forced both salvage boats to return to Honolulu.

They returned to Maui on Saturday.

A crew from the salvage ship rigged lines to the yacht Nakoa   all day Saturday and Sunday morning to prepare for the third attempt.

Prior to the 3,300-horsepower tug hooking up, the salvage crew used a carbon cutter to free either the yacht’s prop or rudder, believed to be the reason earlier attempts did not succeed, according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

On Sunday, there were ideal weather and ocean conditions for the complex and costly operation. Once the tug turned the boat 90 degrees it pulled out into deeper water. 

“The yacht was listing to one side and riding bow high and it’s unknown at this time whether it was successfully pulled all the way to Honolulu or had to be scuttled in 1,000-foot-deep water offshore,” the Department and Land and Natural Resources said.

Department Chair Dawn Chang watched the salvage operation on Sunday with Maui Mayor Richard Bissen and Maui County Council member Tamara Paltin. Chang said she heard almost immediately from Randy Cates, the owner and operator of Visionary Marine. 

“I’m beyond words,” Chang said. “I extended our appreciation to him and his crew for doing a tough, thankless job when others in the industry were questioning the wisdom of taking it on. We all thought today was it. It was either going to happen or not. I’m extremely pleased.” 

Chang said the state will aggressively pursue recouping all salvage costs from the owner, which originally were set at $460,000 plus before delays and the need for a second boat were included in the cost.

It also does not include the cost to repair damage to coral reefs and live rock. A team from the state Division of Aquatic Resources will return to the grounding location this week to conduct a post-incident damage assessment. 

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VIDEO: Luxury yacht sinks in Maui

Published on March 10th, 2023 by Editor -->

Debris now litters Honolua Bay in the area where the luxury yacht now sits at the bottom of the ocean. Nakoa, a 94-foot 2004 Sunseeker, ran aground on February 20 and two weeks later sank in 800 feet of water before it could be towed to Honolulu, 90 miles away.

Located near the northern tip of Maui, the mooring it was on failed, and then the yacth drifted onto a reef near a marine sanctuary. Contractors provided pollution mitigation, putting absorbent materials inside the vessel to capture any loose products, and placed a containment boom around the vessel.

They also pumped diesel from the vessel fuel tanks into 55 gallon drums which were airlifted by helicopter and transported to land for disposal. Fourteen batteries were also airlifted for disposal.

Tags: accident , US Coast Guard

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DLNR: Yacht grounding at Honolua caused “significant damage” to live rock, coral colonies

A post-grounding damage assessment conducted by divers from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources, found that the yacht  Nakoa  caused damage to corals and reef live rock covering at least 19,434-square-feet, according to state officials.

The four-person DAR team conducted a preliminary damage investigation the day after the vessel grounded just outside the Honolua-Mokulē’ia Bay Marine Life Conservation District on Maui’s northwestern coast.

On Sunday, March 5, the boat was pulled free, but then sank in 800 feet of ocean water while towing it back to Honolulu. 

Russell Sparks, the DAR aquatic biologist leading the assessment team, said, “We are looking for two things. The initial impact when the vessel grounded, and then the scars that occurred as the boat was dragged back off the flat reef surface into deeper water.” 

The preliminary assessment showed 19 coral colonies were damaged or destroyed during the initial grounding, according to a DLNR news release. For nearly two weeks the  Nakoa  remained grounded in extremely shallow water along the basalt boulder shoreline in a high wave environment. 

Highly visible, parallel scars extend 246 feet into deeper water. The first 49 feet consist of two deep “trench-like” scars, about 16 feet apart. “In this area we found 101 impacted coral colonies, and damage to live rock covering nearly 2,099 square feet,” Sparks said in the release.

The DLNR is not holding the salvage company or tug company that pulled the boat off the reef responsible for any damage but has made it clear that the yacht’s owner will be responsible for salvage costs, as well as for damage to live rock and coral. 

Following the DAR assessment, a team from the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute collected more than 100 fragments of damaged coral and plans to recover additional fragments soon. 

“The Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute agreed to collaborate with us to repair and restore the damage at the site as quickly as possible. It is operating under a DLNR-issued Special Activity Permit, which allows it to respond rapidly in collaboration with DAR staff on coral damage incidents such as this grounding. In this case, they identified a few colonies of dislodged coral that will be re-attached as soon as ocean conditions improve. We appreciate their response and expert coral restoration assistance in stabilizing and restoring this site,” said Sparks. 

Coral fragments collected this week will be grown out at the marine institute lab for future coral restoration projects, as appropriate. 

A final report on live rock/coral damage will be presented to the Board of Land and Natural Resources, along with DAR’s recommended fines and penalties for the damage. 

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Grounded yacht sinks to the ocean floor

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Courtesy of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources

Contractors attach tow lines to the Nakoa, a luxury yacht, on Sunday in Honolua Bay, Maui. The yacht had been stuck on a reef for nearly two weeks.

The luxury yacht Nakoa sinks off the coast of Honolua Bay, Maui, after it was freed from the reef it was stuck on for nearly two weeks. It was scuttled intentionally on Sunday.

HONOLUA BAY, Maui — The 120-ton luxury yacht stuck on the shore reef of Honolua Bay was finally freed over the weekend, only to then be sunk to the bottom of the ocean on Sunday.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources had been struggling to remove the yacht Nakoa since its grounding on Feb. 20, allegedly caused by a mooring line severing while its owner, Jim Jones, was aboard with his family.

After two failed attempts to refloat the craft last week, the yacht was pulled from the reef at around 1 p.m. on Sunday in a joint effort by the salvage ship Kahi, operated by Visionary Marine LLC, and tractor tug Mary Catherine, operated by Sause Brothers Inc., according to a statement from the department.

Shortly after, the DLNR reported the vessel had “taken on water, was listing starboard and riding bow high.”

The department’s initial plan was to take the yacht back to Honolulu, but that option became unfeasible when the boat started sinking due to holes in its hull. Instead, its contractors scuttled the vessel in 800 feet of water.

“Scuttling the vessel was always a possibility,” said Dan Dennison, DLNR’s senior communications manager, in a March 6 email response to The Garden Island.

According to Dennison, the yacht now lies at the bottom of the channel between Maui and Moloka‘i.

The Garden Island could not reach Jones for comment regarding his yacht being deliberately sunk at sea.

But Dennison repeated previous statements that Jones will be responsible for all costs associated with the removal, as well as additional costs for damage to the reef and live rock.

Dennison added that an increase in costs still remains to be determined, and that he was not aware of any contact between Jones and the DLNR since the salvage.

The department previously reported it would charge Jones $460,000 just for the yacht’s removal, not including any environmental damage.

Damage to the area, located just outside the Honolua-Mokule‘ia Bay Marine Life Conservation District, has been a major topic of concern for both government officials and community members since the incident first occurred.

Dennison claimed that sinking the yacht would not cause any significant marine pollution.

“As for the environmental impacts associated with the scuttling, they should be minimal, as all fuel and hazardous materials had been previously removed by a contractor working under the direction of the U.S. Coast Guard,” he said, adding any items that were on the surface or floated up were also collected.

State Board of Land and Natural Resources Chair Dawn Chang also addressed concerns about environmental damage in an interview shortly after the yacht’s removal, noting her appreciation of community members who have been monitoring and watching the scene to ensure that “this special resource is protected.”

“I will assure you, the department is going to use all of its resources, including the attorney general’s office, to hold this vessel and its owners accountable,” she said, “both for the damages to the reef, the environment, all the costs associated with the removal of the vessel, as well as all of the administrative costs.”

Chang said a team from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources plans on conducting a post-grounding damage assessment of the coral and live rock later this week.

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Off The News: Doomed yacht sinks off Maui

March 8, 2023

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The luxury yacht Nakoa, subject of much concern and condemnation after its Feb. 20 grounding in Honolua Bay, Maui, has literally sunk to the depths. If not for its risky mooring, leaked diesel fuel and damage to coral in the bay, one could almost feel sorry for owner Jim Jones of Noelani Yacht Charters LLC.

The 94-foot, 120-ton luxury yacht drifted onto the reef after its mooring line failed, and only after repeated attempts was it finally towed off the coral, on Sunday. En route to Oahu, though, it took on water, sinking in 800-foot-deep seas.

Next, the state plans to pursue Jones and Noelani Yacht Charters for all costs related to the grounding.

‘Fortunate to walk away’: World champion surfer hospitalized after being run over by a boat

H ONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A well-known Maui waterman is recovering after being injured in an accident in the waters off Maui’s North Shore.

Zane Schweitzer, 30, says he was out training for a stand-up paddling competition last Tuesday when he encountered dolphins.

“All of sudden, I have these dolphins riding behind me on the same swell,” Schweitzer said.

He took advantage of the rare and beautiful moment and jumped off his board to look below the surface.

Schweitzer says his escort boat was in front of him and he didn’t notice the boat had turned and was headed back toward him.

GRAPHIC: The following details may be disturbing for some viewers.

“They probably noticed the dolphin pod. I noticed the commission and had the only time to lift my head up and put my hands in front of my face, and the boat hit me dead on in the face,” Schweitzer said.

“The prop and the engine got me on my back, and the lower part of the body.”

Schweitzer said he suffered several hairline fractures and cuts from the propeller blade on his face and back.

“As watermen, we always have to find a lesson to walk away from. Whether it’s a win or a lose, or wave beat down or what not. I consider this situation a win in that I was fortunate to walk away from it,” Schweitzer said.

While in the hospital, Schweitzer missed attending the ESPY awards in Los Angeles, where fellow Maui surfers were honored for helping their community after the Lahaina wildfire disaster. He also missed the Paddle Imua contest.

He says his rehab will take about two months, but he’s still grateful.

“At the end, I have nothing but love and forgiveness for all parties involved, including the boat operator,” he said.

He’s now sharing his story, hoping to help others avoid preventable mistakes.

“It’s not always the 100-foot waves or the Gail force winds that are the biggest dangers in the water,” he explained.

“It’s the choices we make and the people we surround ourselves with, and we have to be really cautious because often times the biggest hazards are people and crafts.”

Schweitzer has received more than 1,000 well wishes online. He wants to thank everyone and says he plans to get back in the water as soon as possible.