Grounded Sailboat Brought Ashore

The state today completed the removal of a sailboat that ran aground on a reef off a Kona beach park last weekend.

The vessel will be disposed of on Friday, Department of Land and Natural Resources spokeswoman Deborah Ward said.

Ward had previously said that the sailboat would be brought on shore at the Old Kona Airport and then dismantled.

The state will attempt to recoup the costs of the recovery from the vessel’s owner at a later date, the spokeswoman said.

The state said the owner of the 40-foot “Seaquel” did not have boat insurance and could not afford to pay for its salvage, and it was interested in removing the vessel from the reef as soon as possible.