The crew of the Matson containership MV MANUKAI rescued three people on Monday from a disabled sailboat that had gotten caught in Hurricane Julio hundreds of miles from Hawaii. The MM&P officers aboard the MANUKAI at the time were Captain John H. Bloomingdale, Chief Mate Matthew Frank Merrill, Second Mate Matthew J. Berntson and Third Mate Justin N. Moore.
The crew of the MANUKAI brought the three people from the 42-foot sailboat on board shortly before 0800 local time after previous attempts to rescue them had failed because of rough weather, a Coast Guard spokeswoman said.
The crew of the sailboat, THE WALKABOUT, originally launched from Stockton, Calif., got into trouble about 400 miles northeast of the island of Oahu.
They sent out a distress signal on Sunday morning as Hurricane Julio moved across the Pacific Ocean. The vessel was caught in winds of 92 to 115 miles per hour and 30-foot waves, and as it took on water, one of its hatches was blown away along with its life raft, the Coast Guard spokeswoman said.
Crewmembers aboard MANUKAI deployed a life raft for the sailboat’s crew on Sunday night, but conditions were too rough for them to get into it. The rescue attempt resumed after daybreak on Monday with the crew of the cargo vessel pulling the sailboat to their ship with a line, which allowed the three people, who were apparently unharmed, to climb up a ladder.