Mark Brewer, 47, a Kapa’a resident and experienced sailor, had made Kaua’i-to-O’ahu solo channel crossings countless times aboard his 22-foot power catamaran. But something went terribly wrong last weekend. U.S. Coast Guard officials, who Sunday afternoon found the vessel but
Mark Brewer, 47, a Kapa’a resident and experienced sailor, had made Kaua’i-to-O’ahu solo channel crossings countless times aboard his 22-foot power catamaran.
But something went terribly wrong last weekend.
U.S. Coast Guard officials, who Sunday afternoon found the vessel but no sign of Brewer, suspect he either fell overboard or was swept overboard by high seas somewhere in the middle of the Kauai Channel last weekend. The vessel has no name.
Monday, no less than six aircraft continued searching, including planes and helicopters from the U.S. Navy, Honolulu Fire Department, Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Also participating in the search at sea is the Coast Guard Cutter Kittiwake, an 87-foot patrol boat based at Nawiliwili which had been berthed on O’ahu for, ironically, Safe Boating Week activities. Land searches also continued along the Waianae Coast.
The crew of the Kittiwake towed Brewer’s vessel from where it was found 16 miles west of Waianae on Sunday afternoon toward Barbers Point, then handed the vessel off to a 41-foot Coast Guard utility boat to finish the towing while the Kittiwake resumed the search.
The search will continue either until Brewer is found, or until the Coast Guard is “absolutely sure” he wouldn’t be found alive if found at all, said Petty Officer Lauren Smith.
Mary Brewer, Mark Brewer’s wife, said Monday her husband didn’t routinely file float plans with the Coast Guard, and had planned on pulling escort-boat duty for a Moloka’i-to-O’ahu canoe race Sunday.
The catamaran had no radio, and no emergency locator beacon device either, according to a Coast Guard spokesperson.
The Coast Guard team which boarded the vessel Sunday found the key in the ignition, controls at full throttle, but the gas tank empty even though there were additional tanks of gas on board, said Petty Officer Lauren Smith.
This indicates that Brewer probably left the vessel quickly, and unexpectedly, an event that could have played out in this manner if he were swept overboard by a big wave.
A canoe was secured to the deck of the boat, Smith said.
As he would routinely do, on Friday just after noon Brewer boarded his catamaran, which was moored up the Hule’ia River from the Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor, and set out for O’ahu, likely with the canoe he planned to deliver to Moloka’i for a Kaua’i participant in the 26th annual Outrigger Reef-Eyecatcher Molokai World Championships.
Mary Brewer said Monday morning her husband eventually planned on motoring from O’ahu to Moloka’i in time for Sunday’s Moloka’i-to-O’ahu canoe races.
He was expected to arrive on O’ahu from Kaua’i around 7 p.m. Friday night, after leaving Nawiliwili around 1 p.m. the same day.
Brewer’s son contacted the Coast Guard Saturday around 7 p.m. after he failed to receive a call from his father announcing his safe arrival at Ko’Olina, a port on O’ahu’s leeward side. A Coast Guard air search commenced an hour later.
As of yesterday morning, crews had searched more than 960 square miles of ocean, an area roughly the size of O’ahu.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
