Strange Boat Rescued Off Maui
Yesterday in Hawaiian waters, the Coast Guard rescued a strange-looking boat. The Kehaar Darwin — apparently a junk-rigged, homemade vessel that we’re guessing is between 26 and 30 feet — flagged down another boat to ask for assistance. The owner of the odd vessel was described as a 62-year-old Australian mariner.
The Darwin had reportedly departed Panama 104 days earlier and was on its way to Australia when the owner became "disoriented, and was having trouble making it into port," a Coast Guard press release said. "His vessel became beset by weather forcing him into Hawaiian waters. He was without communications equipment [or] an engine, and his sails were in poor condition."
The Coast Guard took the opportunity to remind sailors to always have the proper safety equipment aboard, and to file a float plan when voyaging, all sentiments that we support. The Kehaar Darwin appears to be a throwback in time, and perhaps represents a different ethos in sailing — the Do It Yourself, old-school approach. We wish the skipper of the Darwin a safe voyage, wherever he decides to go.
