DLNR News Release – GROUNDED SAILBOAT REMOVED FROM HONOLUA BAY March 15, 2025
STATE OF HAWAIʻI
KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI
DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
KA ‘OIHANA KUMUWAIWAI ‘ĀINA
JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR
DAWN CHANG
CHAIRPERSON
GROUNDED SAILBOAT REMOVED FROM HONOLUA BAY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 2025
HONOLUA BAY, Maui – The 65-foot catamaran Hula Girl that had become an unwelcome fixture at Maui’s Honolua-Mokulē‘ia Marine Life Conservation District for almost two months, has been removed.
Its long-awaited exit Friday afternoon brought a collective sigh of relief to the vessel’s owner, Kapalua Kai Sailing, Inc., the salvage crew, and the West Maui community.
A storm, in addition to a compromised motor, led to the sailing vessel’s undoing in January. Inhibited in its ability to operate and recover, the catamaran was dragged onto Honolua Bay’s rocky shoreline, where it’s been languishing since. The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) and Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) worked closely with the vessel’s owner to develop and execute the salvage plan.
Several factors contributed to delays in the boat’s removal including high winds, inclement weather and uncooperative tides. Hiring a company to tackle the salvage also proved challenging. After weeks of refusals and uncertainty, Cates Marine Service, LLC signed on for the job. Owner Randy Cates is a seasoned veteran with decades in the boat salvage business. He’s also no stranger to groundings in the bay.
The Cates team handled the removal of the luxury yacht Nakoa from Honolua in 2023. Two years later, almost to the day, again with help from Foss Marine, it managed to tug Hula Girl free from the rocks.
Rigging lines and other preparations on Hula Girl were finalized on Thursday and early Friday. Just after noon on Friday, and on the incoming tide, the Foss Marine tug arrived. Notice was given to surfers and snorkelers in the water to avoid the area. Once the lines were connected between the tug and Hula Girl, the catamaran didn’t put up too much of a fight. The sailing vessel was successfully freed within an hour.
An initial damage assessment by a DAR dive team suggested no coral, fish, or invertebrates in the bay were harmed. Another assessment is planned now that the Hula Girl has been moved. Natural resources in nearshore ecosystems often bear the brunt of boat groundings. In this case, it appears at least initially that no fuel or oil was spilled, and no reef was scarred.
Hula Girl’s next stop is a designated mooring offshore at Māla small boat ramp, where it will undergo an evaluation for temporary repairs before being towed to O‘ahu.
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RESOURCES
(All images/video Courtesy: DLNR)
HD video – Hula Girl media clips (March 13, 2025):
HD video – Hula Girl media clips (March 14, 2025:
Photographs – Hula Girl removal (March 13-14, 2025):
Media Contact:
Ryan Aguilar
Communications Specialist
Hawai‘i Dept. of Land and Natural Resources
808-587-0396
Email: [email protected]
Distribution channels:
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