Coast Guard searching for Chinese mariner ADVERTISING Coast Guard searching for Chinese mariner HONOLULU (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a Chinese man attempting to set a sailing record from San Francisco to Shanghai. The Coast Guard
Coast Guard searching for Chinese mariner
HONOLULU (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a Chinese man attempting to set a sailing record from San Francisco to Shanghai.
The Coast Guard located Guo Chuan’s 97-foot trimaran early Wednesday. Rescuers searched for the 50-year-old sailor, who is trying to set a solo sailing record.
Chuan’s racing boat, the Qingdao China, has an automatic identification system that showed it was 620 miles northwest of Oahu, said Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Tara Molle.
His website, guochaunracing.com, says his team lost contact with him about 9 p.m. Monday.
Chuan left San Francisco on Oct. 18 to challenge the solo nonstop trans-Pacific world record, according to the website. The current speed record for that journey is 21 days and he was trying to sail from San Francisco to Shanghai within 20 days, the site says.
Chuan is healthy and regarded as a very experienced sailor, “so that gives us some hope,” Molle said.
Shelter up for expansion to help more find housing
HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu officials are planning to expand a homeless shelter that has had success in moving residents into permanent housing since it opened nearly a year ago.
Mayor Kirk Caldwell announced Tuesday that the Sand Island shelter has had 105 housing placements. Hale Mauliola provides temporary housing and services to individuals, couples and pet owners.
About 30 percent of those housed at the center were chronic homeless who entered the city’s Housing First program, according to the Institute for Human Services, which operates the housing center. The organization reported that 6 percent of residents found their own apartments and didn’t require government rental subsidies. Two clients who went through the program are now homeowners on the mainland.
Following the shelter’s successes, the city says it will bring in new units to house an additional 20 people.
Seal returned to ocean after surgery
HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaiian monk seal is back at sea after a life-saving surgery removed a fishing hook it swallowed.
The 14-year-old, 400-pound seal known as Benny was seen off Makua Beach in early October with a fishing line hanging out of his mouth.
X-rays showed a barbed circle fishing hook was wedged deeply into Benny’s stomach wall. The seal was immediately given surgery, which was followed by a couple of weeks of recovery.
Benny was then taken back to the beach, where a group of scientists and volunteers cheered as he hauled himself to the water.
