Coast Guard medically evacuates woman from sailboat off Lanai

The U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday medically evacuated a 25-year-old woman from a sailboat after it ran aground outside of Kaa Fishpond on Lanai.

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Command Center received notification at 7:28 p.m. Saturday from the 38-foot sailboat “Raven” that it the vessel was aground and taking on water on the east side of Lanai. The sailboat had three people aboard at the time.

An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Barbers Point and a Response Boat-Medium crew from Station Maui launched en route to the aground vessel. When the RB-M crew arrived on scene at 9 p.m. they assessed the location of the vessel and determined that they were unable to maneuver close enough to take the vessel in tow. The sailboat was hard aground but not in danger of sinking.

Two of the sailboat’s crew would remain overnight on the vessel, according to the Coast Guard.

Because of a pre-existing medical condition of the third crewmember, watchstanders consulted a flight surgeon who made the recommendation for medical evacuation, according to the Coast Guard. At 12:14 a.m. Sunday, a rescue swimmer was lowered into the water to conduct a hoist of the patient and also supplied back-up VHF radios to the two remaining crewmembers.

The helicopter crew safely transported the patient to awaiting emergency medical services at Kahului Airport.

The sailboat remains hard aground with one crewmember aboard until salvage arrangements can be made, according to the Coast Guard. The second crewmember kayaked into the beach at Kaa Fishpond on Sunday morning.