A pair of tourists were rescued late Sunday evening, after the navigation system of their drone sailboat malfunctioned, causing the vessel to travel back and forth across the Auau Channel, between Maui and Lanai. The crew of a U.S. Coast Guard boat were able to board the runaway vessel near Lahaina Harbor, and rescue 67-year-old Jenna Karlson and her husband, 68-year-old Phil. The couple had been trapped on the boat since Friday afternoon, and were taken to the Lahaina Medical Center to be treated for dehydration. Both are expected to make a full recovery.
It’s fair to say that the Karlson’s trip did not go as planned. Jenna says it all began when the hotel concierge suggested the couple go to a timeshare presentation in order to get free tickets for a boat tour of Western Maui. “I told her that she lived in a beautiful place, but I couldn’t believe how expensive everything was. $3 for a bottle of water? I asked for suggestions for something fun, and cheap that didn’t involve too much walking. She said if we listened to a 2 hour presentation about a timeshare, we’d get free lunch, and tickets for a boat ride. The price was right, and it sounded like a hoot, so I took down the directions, and off we went.”
Timeshares have become more and more common as the popularity of Western Maui has boomed in recent years. According to the Lahaina Business Association, over 10,000 tourists attended a timeshare presentation in Lahaina last year alone. The Karlson’s made their way to the trendy Aloha Shores Condominiums Friday morning, and according to Phil the issues began right away.
“It was supposed to start at 10:00, but it was 10:18 before the whole thing got rolling. It went over an hour long, and the “lunch” was nothing but pinwheel sandwiches, melon balls, and some warm Manimal. Still, there wasn’t a sign anywhere about plate limits, so I made sure Jenna put some food in her purse, while I put a few cans in my fanny pack. When the sales pitch was finally over, I grabbed our tickets, and we were on our way to what was supposed to be a lovely trip along the coast. I should have known it was too good to be true.”
The Karlson’s boarded a drone sailboat Friday afternoon at No Hands On Deck, one of the many new businesses offering tours in captainless drones in the Lahaina area. Booked for a midday cruise, the couple was only supposed to be on the water for a few hours before returning, but within minutes, things literally took a bad turn according to Jenna. “There was a terrible noise, the boat lurched, and we headed out to sea,” she says.
For the next two days, the boat traveled back and forth the across Auau Channel with the Karlson’s trapped aboard. “At first I was scared, but Phil said we should make the best of things, and someone would come looking for the boat after it didn’t return. Unfortunately, It turns out their inventory tracking is about as good as their boat’s navigation systems,” says Jenna.
“It wasn’t all bad to be honest. We were worried about getting our phones wet, so we left them at the hotel. Not having them as a distraction was nice, even though we could have used them to call for help. We must have taken 30 trips back and forth across the channel, and not once did we see a whale. If we had wasted money on one of those whale tours I would have been very upset. It rained pretty hard the first night, and it was really cold. Phil and I had to snuggle together for warmth, it was like we were teenagers again, sneaking out to the shed to be alone. We had plenty of food from the presentation in my purse, but we ran out of Manimal early Saturday, and I began to worry. We talked about just jumping off when we got close to Lahaina again, but Phil was worried that they’d charge our credit card for the whole boat if we abandoned ship, so we just kept riding. By the time Sunday rolled around, I was getting really concerned. I couldn’t see how we’d make our checkout time, and as the sun went down I knew Veilcorp would charge us extra for missing our departure slot. I held Phil’s hand, and we talked about how much more this was all going to cost, and what was happening to our luggage back at the hotel. It was a real low point, but then we were lit up by a Coast Guard spotlight. We were a little embarrassed about all the fuss, but glad to finally be off that boat.”
No Hands On Deck released a statement saying in part, “We regret the ordeal that the Karlson’s went through, and are reviewing our safety protocols to make sure nothing like this happens again.” Aloha Shores spokesperson Frank Lacey says he is relieved that the Karlson’s are ok. “First and foremost, My brother Steve and I would like to apologize to Phil and Jenna. We have learned a lot about properly vetting marketing partners through this, and would like to assure the Karlson’s that we are no longer working with No Hands. We’re going back to offering tickets to The Dolphin Experience, next door. We’ve never heard of one of the dolphins taking a guest on a 3 day open ocean odyssey against their will.”
“Further, we’d like to invite the Karlson’s back for a complimentary weekend visit once they’re feeling better. We employ a group of the industry’s finest tech support specialists, to aid all our guests if anything goes wrong with their unit, something Jenna and Phil could have used out in the channel. Unlike being trapped a runaway boat, our guests never have to worry about starting their day with food and drink, thanks to complimentary continental breakfast served fresh daily in the communal areas. Our knowledgeable staff, can help you get the hottest tickets in town, or directions to a secluded beach to enjoy Maui’s native wildlife. At Aloha Shores, you’ll never feel lost at sea thanks to our attention to detail, and desire to provide exemplary service. Call or email for details and availability.”
