From KITV.com kitv4 news
HONOLULU -- It will be months before the Coast Guard finishes its investigation into the deadly tour catamaran incident off Waikiki Friday night.
A marine surveyor who has seen about 200 broken masts in his career said there are only a few reasons why it happens.
The Na Hoku Two came into compliance with Coast Guard regulations in May after fixing several violations.
The Na Hoku Two limped back to shore Friday night after a devastating mast collapse that killed Jordan Loser, 13, and seriously injured two others.
Witnesses recalled a rough windy ride, but said things were calmer when the mast snapped.
Marine surveyor Mike Doyle said that with Hawaii's constant trade winds, broken masts are not rare.
"Quite a few I think, in the 30 some years I've been doing it there have been 200 dismastings; normally it's a mechanical failure," Doyle said.
By mechanical failure, Doyle said that means rigging gives way or breaks like the fittings that connect the mast's wires to the deck.
"The wire is hard to tell itself, but the swages -- or the stainless steel fitting -- normally show an indication of rust fairly dark rust," he said.
The pressure of strong wind on the sails over time can cause mast fatigue, Doyle said.
"You've got a fair amount of sail on a boat like that. They're taking a lot of passengers -- a lot of weight. There's a lot of pressure from the sails, and the sails can overload the mast and the mast can tend to collapse," he said.
Others agreed, saying tour boat captains need to assess the wind strength and adjust their sails so they don't overstress the mast. Some captains believe that more in-depth and frequent Coast Guard inspections are needed.
"I would say maybe more frequent rigging inspections should be required by the Coast Guard; (that) would help definitely," said Jon Jebson, the captain of the Makani.
The Coast Guard's investigation could take up to six months to complete.
