Awaiting final report in yacht incident

In a dubious honor no company would wish for itself, the beached luxury yacht Nakoa has become a new poster child for environmental degradation on this island.

For those too young to remember posters, the Nakoa has gone viral for all the wrong reasons.

The 94-foot, 120-ton fiberglass boat operated by Noelani Yacht Charters out of Oahu snapped its mooring line Feb. 20 and drifted onto the reef at Honolua Bay. The hull was punctured and diesel fuel leaked into the protected bay that is part of the Honolua-Mokule’ia Marine Life Conservation District. Noelani Yacht Charters owner Jim Jones has been quoted in local media saying he was on a family outing at the time.

Efforts to remove the boat are scheduled to continue this weekend with a tug and salvage vessel returning with heavier rigging for another try at pulling the Sunseeker 94 off the rocks fronting the legendary surf spot’s iconic break. We can all consider ourselves lucky a big winter swell has not yet slammed the coast while the boat is grounded. It could be in a million pieces by now.

 There is some comfort in knowing the craft’s fuel, batteries and other potentially dangerous materials have been removed. The state turned salvage operations over to Visionary Marine of Honolulu and budgeted $460,000 for the effort. According to a state official we spoke with, the boat is expected to be a complete loss. Let’s hope it does not sink on its way to wherever it is going.

Jones has said he plans to pay the state back. He will also likely be facing stiff fines. We’re interested in seeing the final report once the investigation is complete. Was this affair the result of ineptitude or criminal negligence? Was there a licensed captain aboard the vessel when it tied off for an extended period at a mooring that is to be used only two hours at a time? Did the company have all the required permits?

The Noelani Yacht Charters website sells the sizzle of having a private yacht at your disposal in Hawaii. Marketed to the uber wealthy, packages can include e-foils, jet skis, private chefs and bartenders. Destinations include Oahu, Maui, Lanai, Kauai and the Big Island. The Maui video shows a pair of e-foil riders riding next to the Nakoa as it cruises off Kaanapali and also close to Pu’u Keka’a, or Black Rock.

 Catering to well-heeled clientele happens all the time in Hawaii. Ultra-luxury in not an exemption from the laws of the ocean or common sense. Disobey those and you can end up a poster child for all the wrong reasons, an internet sensation that sticks in the craw of local people for years to come. 

Jones has said he would like to do business in Maui waters again if we’ll have him. Let’s see that report first.

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