Two hurt as waves dash sailboat against Magic Island
Two people sustained minor injuries today after surf pushed their 35-foot sailboat against the breakwater at Magic Island.
Stanley Kim, a friend and his friend’s dog were departing Ala Wai Boat Harbor for a cruise when the "small putt-putt motor" couldn’t generate enough power to push through the waves, Kim said. The waves continually hit the boat broadside and pushed it against the breakwater, causing the boat’s mast to snap.
Lifeguards helped the woman, reportedly in her 40s, and Kim off the boat about 2:10 p.m., said Honolulu Fire Capt. Terry Seelig. The woman was taken to a hospital in stable condition, and the man was treated at the scene for a minor injury on his right forearm.
Seelig said firefighters determined there was no fuel spill and said the woman, who owned the vessel, was working with the state to coordinate the boat’s removal.
The National Weather Service website reported surf to be about one-foot high at Ala Moana.