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The Coast Guard rescued three men Sunday from a fishing boat that capsized about 6.5 miles southwest of Kaena Point.
The Coast Guard launched a search for the 28-foot pleasure boat Saturday night off Leeward Oahu after the skipper’s girlfriend called to say the boat was overdue, a spokeswoman said.
At about 8:30 a.m. Sunday a rescue crew spotted two men sitting on the hull of the overturned vessel while the third clung to the hull in the water.
Officials said 34-year-old Jason Barlow, 42-year-old Todd Larsen and 28-year-old Stephen Humphreys were wearing life jackets and had only minor injuries.
A Coast Guard rescue specialist was lowered on a line, and all three men were safely hoisted into the helicopter and transported to Barbers Point, according to a Coast Guard news release.
Jennifer Conklin, a search and rescue specialist at the Honolulu Joint Rescue Coordination Center, urged mariners to take precautions before heading out to sea.
The Coast Guard said it received a distress call at 6:30 p.m. Saturday from the girlfriend of the skipper, saying he and his friends had not returned from an ahi fishing trip.
The Coast Guard launched an HC-130 Hercules airplane and two MH-65 Dolphin helicopters from Barbers Point, as well as the cutters Morgenthau and Galveston Island and a 45-foot response boat. The Honolulu Fire Department helicopter joined the search Sunday morning.
In an incident Saturday a capsized vessel activated its emergency positioning-indicating radio beacon that led the rescue helicopter straight to it.
"Both crews survived, but one group spent over 20 hours overnight in the water," Conklin said.